#Neji break to breathe | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

pomefioredove · 9 days ago

Note

Hii!! May I please have a sugar cookie, #10, with sprinkles and whipped cream ?? (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

this was painfully enjoyable, how I missed writing this little scamp...

order #10, sugar with whipped cream and sprinkles

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ honest

tropes: hurt/comfort, royalty AU characters: ruggie additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is leona's younger sib for plot reasons word count: 1k

"Just throw it anywhere,"

You might as well have heard a ghost. The sound of your older brother's voice, and the sight of him standing in the foyer, is so startling you almost fall.

Leona never comes home for festivals. He hates these things. He hates you.

"Someone'll pick it up. Hey," his eyes are turned on you now. "Where's Falena?"

You must look like a gazelle caught in headlights. "Uh... um, out. He's doing the opening for the ceremony..."

"Tch. Of course,"

Leona rolls his eyes. He returns his dwindling attention back to the group of school uniformed students you almost dare to call his friends.

"Neji will bring your stuff up to your rooms. Don't break anything and don't get too comfortable- we're only here until the hotel can sort out our reservation,"

And he's gone. Not so much as a hello, or a how are you, it's been months?

Unsurprising. Leona and you have never been close. You're a decent amount younger, and he's... well... Leona.

You feel a comforting hand on your shoulder.

"We're just as surprised as you," Neji says. "The cloudcalling festival was one thing, but this, he came of his own volition for. Perhaps he's changed."

"I doubt it," you answer immediately.

"I suppose we won't know unless you talk to him."

Neji smiles and leaves you to attend to your new guests. You roll your eyes- that's Neji for you. The glue that holds your family together... or keeps you from tearing each other apart, at least.

You linger in the foyer, even after the guests have gone and it's only you and the whispers of the guards. They, of course, speak of Leona. Everyone always speaks of Leona. Never of you.

"Come back here!"

"Oop- 'scuse me!"

You come back to your senses just in time to dodge a flash of fur and beige.

Suddenly, there are two hands on your shoulders and two angry guards in front of you.

"Your highness. Step away from the thief," one says, hand on her weapon.

You look over your shoulder to the huddling "thief" hiding behind you, and he pouts. "I'm innocent!"

"He was snooping around the drawing rooms,"

"I didn't take 'anythin!"

You blink, and then dismiss the guards with a wave of your hand. They begrudgingly comply, and he sighs, loudly.

"I owe 'ya. I swear, the guards here would arrest me for breathing!"

He circles around to stand in front of you, and sticks out a hand. "The name's Ruggie. I'm with Leona,"

You cautiously take his hand and shake it, giving him your name and title. "Are you?"

"Oh, yeah. We're practically best buds. Attached at the hip, shishishi," he giggles. "Surprised he's never mentioned me. But, he's never mentioned you, either. I didn't even know Leona had a younger sib."

Of course. "He doesn't like me all that much. So, you know," you shrug.

Ruggie grins and begins wandering the foyer, opening drawers and going through coat pockets.

"Nah, he just doesn't like talking about his home life that much. He's kind of a private guy,"

He gets on his hands and knees and crawls under an 18,000 thaumark footstool.

You raise an eyebrow. "I suppose so. I'm sure he's at least mentioned Falena, though,"

"Oh, sure. But only when people ask. I guess people just don't ask about you,"

That comment hurts more than it should. How ungrateful your brother is. Always so bitter about being second when you're third, when you have so much less importance than him, when you aren't even remembered enough to ask about. You're a shadow in a shadow.

"I guess they don't,"

That had come out more bitter than you had meant it to, and Ruggie pulls out from under the footstool, a coin and a crinkled thaumark note in hand.

"Hey, listen, it's no big deal. Leona just doesn't like talking about things. Like, in general. He's kinda asocial,"

Ruggie pockets the change and stands.

"I've noticed," you mutter. "He's plenty asocial with me, too."

The boy is quiet. He gives you a one-over, and then sighs.

"Listen. Don't go around saying you heard it from me, but Leona... he's got his own problems. He's not avoiding you on purpose, he just... uh, he gets overwhelmed with this family crap- er, pardon my French. He's had it pretty rough at school this year. Wanting to bite your head off- that's 'nothin personal. He nearly killed me, too,"

You blink, somewhat taken aback with how... um, candid he was being. And that last tidbit of not-so-small smalltalk...

"...He what?"

"Total misunderstanding," Ruggie waves off your concern. "All I'm saying is, you shouldn't take everything at face value. Everyone's working an angle, right? Leona wants to seem scary, but he cares about people... in his own way."

Again, you're taken aback by how candid he is. It's like he doesn't even care that you're royalty, or that he's speaking of another royal so... casually.

"Are you working an angle, then?"

He grins. "Heh. I could be. Or I could the only person whose been honest with you in years. I guess it's up to you to decide whether you wanna call those guards back in here, or keep 'talkin,"

As much as that smug look on his face unsettles you... it feels like the weight in your stomach has passed. If only a little.

You smile back, slightly.

"Hey, freeloader. Stop mooching off my kid sibling, and get your ass up here. We're having a group meeting,"

You both look up the grand staircase to see Leona, hands on his hips. Ruggie grins sheepishly.

"What, I'm not allowed to have a civil conversation?"

"Not while looking at 'em like they're your next meal. Come on, I'm tired of being here already,"

Ruggie turns back to you with that same smug grin, his eyes lowered, and then he hurries up the stairs. Leona whacks him upside the head and drags him away by the collar, whisper-shouting something about you.

Again, you smile. Maybe Leona does care about you- in his own strange, older brother way.

Ruggie was honest with you, after all.

#twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #ruggie bucchi x reader

148 notes · View notes

13as07 · 9 months ago

Text

Weekend #2

(Neji Hyuga & Shikamaru Nara)

[Artwork is not mine! Credit to unknown. Again I couldn't find the source, I'm sorry]

Requested by: xxziggy

Word Count: 3,415

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

I just realized this is the second FWB story I've put Shika in. Our poor man.

Love Triangle

Name Calling: Pet, Princess

Second part is a Neji half-smut so beware :)

Fingering (Female Receiving)

Teacher/Student Roleplay (for like two paragraphs)

Voice Kink

Praising

Verbally Fighting

———————————————————————

"Hey, Pet?" Shikamaru's voice calls out, followed by the sound of the zipper of the tent Ino and I are sharing being pulled down. "Are you ready to meet up with everyone?" He asks, eyeing the swimsuit he never got the chance to see.

"Ya, are you ready?" I ask back, grabbing the beach bag before crawling out of my tent. Once I'm out and standing straight again, I fix the cover I've wrapped around my hips.

Shika hums a soft yes, his eyes trailing over my fingers as I fix the knot. "Let's go," he murmurs, gripping my wrist before he leads me forward. His hand slips into mine, toying with my fingers as we head towards the beach. "Hey?" He peeps up a few steps away from the start of the sand.

"Hey, what?"

"Come here," he mutters, tugging me toward him by our joint hands. I'm pressed against Shikamaru, his free hand sliding up to cup my neck before his lips brush against mine. His kisses are hungry and quickly get rougher the longer he kisses me.

"Hey," I giggle, gently pushing him away from me. "You know the rules. No conjugating on the friends’ weekend."

"Ya, I know," he grumbles, pecking my lips again before turning back to tugging me forward. "A kiss or two won't hurt though," he mutters, jumping down the small edge from the forest grass to the sand of the beach.

"I guess so," I mutter, jumping down the edge too, Shika's hands holding my waist on my way down. 'Hello's are thrown our way by our friends as we walk across the beach. Ino and Choji wave us over their spot, getting an eye roll from Shikamaru. "Come on, stop being so boring," I tease, taking over the tugging as I beeline for our friends.

"Ino!" I cheer, racing forward to gushing over her swimsuit. "You are looking so hot."

"Bsh, this old thing?" She says, fake coyness in her voice. "I just got it off the Clarence rack last season. Look at you though! Hot damn, mamas!"

We both giggle, getting groans from the other half of our little group. "Can we just go swimming now? That's the whole point of this trip," Choji teases, standing up from the sand to stretch. "Aside from the s'mores of course."

"Of course," the three of us mock, following after the large man.

When we get to the dock, Choji races forward, jumping into the lake and making a huge splash. Ino dives in after him, her jump a lot more majestic than Cho's. "Alright, our turn," Shikamaru says, taking hold of me, and hoisting me up before I can stop him. He jumps off the deck, tumbling the two of us off the deck.

"Shika!" I shriek, gripping his shoulders and taking a deep breath before I'm pulled under. The water envelopes us as we sink, the strands of our hair tangling together as we slowly float back up to the surface.

My head breaks the water surface first giving me the chance to catch my breath first. "Meanie!" I giggle, splashing him when he breaks the water’s surface too.

"'Come on, stop being so boring'," he teases, splashing me back before he swims towards me. "Come here," he grumbles again, wrapping his arms around my waist and tugging me against him again.

Shikamaru situates us, letting himself float on the water's surface with me sat on him like a surfboard. "What are you doing?" I ask, squeezing his sides with my thighs as my hands rest on his chest. I paddle my legs in the water, slowly shifting us around the lake.

"I'm going to take a nap," he murmurs, letting his eyes fall closed.

"Shika!" I whine, splashing him again. "We're supposed to be swimming."

"We are swimming," he answers, splashing me back. "Just relax, Pet. We can waste energy paddling around later. You should take a nap too."

I grumble but give into Shika's plans, leaning my head back with my thighs squeezed tighter. As I sink into a half float, I let my upper body rest in the water like he's doing.

In my upside-down sight, I catch a glimpse of Neji and Lee on the beach. Neji's sights are set on us, his face scrunched up as he looks our way. Jealousy or is Lee annoying him? It has to be Lee, Neji doesn't take me as the jealous type.

————————————

"Nara-Chan?" Neji's voice echoes from outside my tent, getting me a teasing look from the girls. "Are you still awake?"

"Yes, I am. Give me a second," I answer, shooting a look at them to knock it off before I unzip the tent.

He pops his head in, a huge smile on his face as he looks at me. "What are you girls up to?"

"Playing a game of poker, a game I'm winning by the way," Tenten taunts enjoying her victory streak and pulling mumbles from the other girls in the makeshift room. "How about you, Nej? What are you up to?"

"I came back to see if Nara-Chan wanted to go on a walk," he answers, focus turned toward me again. "Would you like to go on a walk?"

"Sure Neji," I say, my heart fluttering a bit. We haven't had any alone time since we got here and it would be nice to finally have some. A string of teasing noises spill from the girls as I climb out of the tent, making me roll my eyes. "Hey Nej," I greet once I'm out, climbing to my feet.

His hands shoot down, clinging to my elbows and helping me to my feet. "Hello, Nara-San."

"Would you stop calling me that?" I tease, enjoying the feeling of his hands on me.

"I suppose I could call you something else. I will have to think about it though," he mutters, eyebrows pressed together in thought. "As for now, let us go on our walk." His arm slides into mine, hooking us together as we start our stroll away from the army of tents.

Our walk is sweet, the two of us walking in silence and enjoying the scenery. Soon the forest gives way to the beach again, a soft yellow of light poking into the night sky a few yards ahead. "Neji," I murmur, my senses heightening at the thought of someone else being around.

"Calm down, Princess."

"Princess?" I ask, the nickname catching me off guard.

"I set us up a spot to enjoy some time together," he explains, blowing off my question.

"Did you?" I ask, letting him lead me forward. He hums a yes, helping down the split between the forest and the sand of the beach. "That's so sweet Nej!" I coo, the little scene he set up falling into view.

A small fire burns, with a blanket laid out in front of it. Pillows and rose petals are littered across the blanket, adding to the romantic star-gazing spot. "Do you like it?" He asks, shifting behind me with his hands softly resting biceps.

"I love it! It's so sweet," I praise, leaning against his chest. After a beat, I take hold of his hand and race forward, sliding a bit in the sand. "How'd you manage all of this? Hasn't Lee been attached at your hip all day?"

"Lee helped me set it up," Neji explains, his hands gripping mine to help me onto the blanket. "He wants 'a full report of the night' when I get back," he adds, sinking to the ground as well.

"A 'full' report?" I tease, adjusting some of the pillows before I lay down. My fingertips got with some of the petals, enjoying how soft and smooth they are.

"Yes," he answers shortly, lying down next to me. "Lee is a bit invasive."

"He's just excited for you," I murmur, letting my eyes jump around the sky, lazily counting the stars.

We fall quiet again, enjoying our star gazing before Neji's voice rings out again. "Are Shikamaru and you something? I feel like I'm intruding."

"No, we're not together," I answer, my hand sliding over the blanket in search of his. When I find Neji's hand, I tangle our fingers together.

"Then what is going on between you two?" He asks, squeezing my hand gently a couple of times.

"Sometimes we just... help each other out... with... our needs."

"Is that so?" He asks, the sound of his head turning against the fabric of the pillow following his question.

I turn my head towards him, squeezing his hand in return. "Ya, that's so," I mutter, looking into his white eyes. "Does it bother you?"

"No, Tenten and I do the same thing on occasion." Neji's eyes jump around me before settling on my face again.

"Oh ya?"

"Yes, does that bother you?" He asks, a flicker of concern flashing across his face.

"No, Nej, I'm not that sallow. I just assumed you were a virgin," I giggle, a string of laughter falling from me because of my honesty.

"I am not a virgin! I have... been with a woman," he huffs out, cheeks turning red as he turns his head back toward the sky.

"I don't believe you," I poke, turning toward the stars too. "I think you're a virgin that doesn't know what he's doing."

"I know what I'm doing," he grumbles, squeezing my hand again. "I know what I'm doing," Neji repeats, now squeezing my hand in repeat.

"Ya? Prove it. You won't though, I know you won't," I taunt, turning my head again as I let out another round of laughs.

His voice and squeezing stop before his movements pick up. Neji turns over, the hand not wrapped up in mine slides into my hair, clinging to it as his head moves forward. His lips crash against mine, a bit unbalanced with nervousness for a moment before we fall into a pattern.

"That..." I start to mutter when he pulls away, my eyes hazily opening to look at a red-faced Neji. "Proves nothing."

His lips purse together as he scans me again. "You are a very attitude-filled person," he mutters, shifting again so he's hovering over me, legs tangled with mine and hands pressed on either side of my head. "But that is alright. It is part of what attracts me to you."

This time it's my face going red as I turn my sights away from him, a smile breaking out on my face. Damn it, Neji, why do you have to be so straight-forward about everything?

"Well that's good," I peep out, slowly focusing back on the man hovering over me. "What else attracts you to me?" I ask, letting my hands wander over his sides.

We're both still in our swim attire, Neji in his swim trunks and a t-shirt, and me with a pair of shorts and my swim bottoms underneath, an open sweatshirt covering my arms and leaving nothing but my bikini top. It's pretty generic rom-com beach wear if I think about it.

"Aside from your attitude, you are also pretty, and nice, and devoted to your work, and good to the people of the village, and get along with Hinata," Neji starts, peppering kisses to my neck after every compliment that spills from her.

"Well... pretty beside the bruise Shikamaru seems to have left you," he mutters, tapping his nose against it before shifting further down my body. "You are very vocal too, at least when you're with close friends," Neji continues, now peppering kisses across the exposed parts of my breasts. "Are you vocal during other times as well?" He asks, head tilling up to lock eyes with me as his fingers toy with the elastic band of my swim bottoms. "Shall I test it out? After all, a virgin like me could use the experience."

Cocky little shit. I go for cocky little shits. "Well..." I stumble out, clinging to the material of his shirt as I get turned on by his soft touches. "Who... who am I to deny an eager student?"

Neji smiles at me softly, pecking my lips as his hand slowly snakes down to my bottoms undoing my shorts before continuing his trail down. He finds my clit almost instantly, rubbing slow circles into the material it's still hidden under. His mouth stays busy with softly sucking on my neck. "Ya... ya, okay," I mumble, fingers digging into the loose material of his shirt. "Defiantly not a virgin."

He chuckles softly, stamping a kiss to my temple before shifting towards my ear. "I told you, but you wanted proof, so I'm giving you proof." Neji's fingertips shift, slowly crawling down before dipping into me.

"Neji," I breathe out, my hands climbing up from his sides to bury themselves into his hair. I toy with it, trying my best not to tug or pull on it as his fingers curl inside me before being pulled out and thrust into me again.

"Princess?" He hums, lips brushing against my jaw now that he's gotten bored of my neck.

"Aren't you like... like... like a goodie two shoes? A... a... 'follow all... all the rules' guy?" I stumble out, squeezing his arm between my thighs as my orgasm quickly builds.

My movements don't go unnoticed, Neji's fingers move faster, his thumb moving around before tapping against my clit. "Neji," I whine again, tugging on his hair this time.

"Princess," he says softly, a gentle smile on his face as his tilted head looks at me. "Yes, I am a bit of a rule follower. I don't think a tad of conjugating will hurt anything though."

I tug on his hair again, the sound of his voice adding to my quickly building orgasm. "Keep... keep talking," I mutter, using my grip on his locks to tug him closer to me.

Neji's head settles against mine, lips brushing against my ear as he talks. "Is that what does it for you Princess? My voice? Do you like hearing me talk to you?” He softly taunts, his smile present in his tone. “I’m glad because I like hearing your pretty voice too. I like seeing the way your beautiful face shifts in pleasure. I like seeing arousal in your pretty eyes. I look seeing your chest pump up and down with your breaths. I like - ”

He cuts himself off, my next praise falling silent as I let out a pitched whine, my pussy clenching around his fingers as I ravel undone. “Neji,” I hiss, tugging on his hair as if he could get any closer to me. “Neji, Neji, Neji,” I call on repeat, my voice a whine as I cling to him.

“Calm yourself, Princess. You are alright,” he soothes, rubbing my clit a time or two more before pulling his touch away from my cunt. His hands settle on my bare sides, rubbing circles into my skin as he litters my stomach with kisses. “You made such pretty voices,” he coos, his mouth jumping past my chest to press another kiss to my lips. “Focus on the stars, count them as you breathe, Princess,” he gently orders, tipping my head back before littering my neck with fresh lingering kisses.

One, I count to myself, eyes settling on a star. Two, I continue letting out a shaky breath. Three, Neji is now softly sucking on my skin again, enough to make it tingle but not enough to leave a mark. Four.

————————————

Shikamaru's eyes keep fluttering from Ino to Neji and me walking back to the clearing we've set up camp at. He's not paying attention to the lecture about paying attention Ino is giving him.

Neji's arm which was loose around my hips is no longer loose. His hold is tight, pushing me against his side as we finish the short walk back to Ino's and my shared tent.

"Where have you been?" Shika asks, cutting off Ino's lecture.

"I already told you, she went on a walk with Neji. Do you ever listen when I talk?!" Ino complains, even more huffy at Shikamaru.

"To be fair," Choji says around a mouth full of chips, head poking out of our tent. "If you didn't complain so much, we all would listen to you more." Cho doesn't help the situation, but he does shift Ino's focus from lecturing Shika to lecturing himself.

Shikamaru ignores her, eyes cast at me in their 'I'm waiting for an answer' way; dark and slightly slit with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Like Ino said, Neji and I went on a walk."

"You were gone for an hour. That's a long walk," he grumbles, eyes slitting some more as he noses around the situation.

"We star gazed for a little while. What are you, my dad?" I snip, glaring back at him, mimicking his stance.

"No, but I am your friend, and at the very least your chief. It's my job to care about your safety. You shouldn't be out for so long while it's dark out." Our staring contest continues for a beat or two before Shika's eyes jump towards Neji. "I don't like you taking her out and about so late."

"She's a grown woman. She can make her own decisions. It's not like I dragged her out of her tent and used my legal standing to force her along," Neji shoots back, poking at Shika's 'I'm your chief' argument chip. "It just so happened she chose to go on a walk with me."

"Don't think you're special because she went on a walk with you," Shika hisses, arms falling to his sides as he takes a step forward. "She would have gone on a walk with anyone. Hell, even if annoying ass Lee asked she would have said yes."

"Alright, that's enough," I pipe up, moving out of Neji's grasp to gently shove Shika back the step he took. "Maybe let's not insult Lee since he didn't do anything wrong. Since no one did anything wrong," I look up at Shikamaru during my last sentence, eyebrows raised in an attempt to remind him of his place. "Just a nice reminder boys. I'm single. Do not have a boyfriend. No girlfriend in sight. Haven't been asked on a date in like two years. As single as a person can be."

After my little rant, I grab a hold of Ino, shoving her into our tent before I duck in behind her, zipping it up after myself. The two boys outside continue to argue, comments about my 'honor being taunted and rumors growing' thrown by Shika and comments about 'abuse of power and feeling intimidated' being thrown by Neji.

"Well this is entertaining," Choji says, shifting his bag of chips closer to me. I shoot him a glare but do take a handful. "Who are you going to choose?"

"Neji, duh," Ino butts in, rolling her eyes at our friend as she gets comfortable on her makeshift bed. "He's from a top clan, not to mention he's pretty high up on the ranks in said clan. Plus he's so sweet and soft-spoken. Neji is the smart choice."

I settle on my makeshift bed, leaning on Choji since he's taking up most of the space. "Absolutely not," he says, plopping another bunch of chips into my hand. "Ya, Neji is all like badass and cool or whatever, but Shikamaru is better."

"Shikamaru?" Ino asks, lifting an eyebrow as she gets up, walking across the small space to join me leaning against Choji. "The man that is bored of everything but still somehow complains about even more, is better... than Neji?"

"In this situation, ya. He knows her better than Neji. They grew up with the same culture, same traditions, same childhood, same memories. That's something Neji can learn but never truly understand as Shika can. I think you should choose Shikamaru," Cho says, focusing on me during his last sentence.

"I don't know," I mutter, snapping my eyes closed. "I think I need to sleep on it." For the next two years or however long it takes this to blow over, I mentally add. What the hell am I going to do? Why did it have to all bubble over on our friends’ weekend? This trip is supposed to be about relaxing. I sure as hell was relaxed about twenty minutes, and I sure as hell am not relaxed now.

———————————————————————

#naruto shippuden #naruto shippuden oneshot #naruto shippuden x reader #naruto shippuden smut #shikamaru nara #shikamaru nara x reader #shikamaru oneshot #shikamaru nara oneshot #shikamaru x reader #neji hyuga oneshot #neji oneshot #neji hyuga x reader #neji x reader #neji hyuga #neji smut #neji hyuga smut

153 notes · View notes

moonyasnow · 8 days ago

Text

Ship intro: Leomoe

The image of cat Tomoe & Leona was made by my friend @cactus13-rolloflammesimp ^^

Some fics I think really fit to show off their relationship and dynamic and stuff! Not perfect, of course, but pretty close:

'Burn Wild' by @/solxamber ("Always so close, yet so far away. Leona pushes it down—he keeps pushing and pushing, until one day, he lets it break.")

'There's a Calm Surrender' by @/cheapshrimpysheep ("The Bead Brawl tournament ends and Leona and the other three run away leaving you[Tomoe], Grim and Jack behind. This causes Neji(Kifaji) to reprimand Leona and trigger him into taking you[Tomoe] on a ride to confess to you[Tomoe]")

I made a little imaginary music video in my head for their theme song

Hereeee comes the timeline stuff~

Keep in mind I miiight need to change up some stuff in the future depending on what happens after Book 7 and stuff like that.

AND THIS IS SOOOO LONG I SWEAR I DIDN'T THINK IT'D END UP THIS LONG

T I M E L I N E :

Book 1

Tomoe's first thought upon tripping over Leona's tail is So there really is a different species with animal-characteristics in this world...'

Of course she saw a couple of students with similar characteristics before...but this, having it confirmed before her very eyes that the tails and ears are REAL, that the people they're attached to feel the same kind of pain an animal from Earth would if it was stepped on, made it really start to sink in.

As soon as it does, her first reaction is to bow in apology.

"I apologize; I didn't realize there was someone else here."

All he did was 'hmph' in response. "Ain't nothin' worse than bein' in the middle of a good nap and havin' some jerk step on your tail."

"Again: I am sincerely sorry."

"You...I know you. You're one of those herbivores from orientation who couldn't use magic."

When he suddenly stands up, walks towards her, and sniffs her, she can't help but yelp in surprise.

"H-heeh—?"

This isn't the first time she's been shocked in the past few days, but this is probably the biggest shock she's received yet. She wasn't used to anyone, much less someone she'd barely known for a minute, walking up so close to her, and doing something like sniffing her.

Realizing it must be related to the biology of the Earth animal whose features he seemed to share, she didn't take offense at it, but it was still somewhat bewildering.

"Well, can't say it'd be much fun to hurt someone so helpless. Still gonna do it, though."

And she snapped out of her state of surprised confusion quickly, alert and prepared for some kind of a conflict.

"No one gets to stomp on my tail and just walk away without payin' the price. I'm in a bad mood on account of bein' woken up from my nap, too. That's gonna cost you a tooth."

She wasn't quite sure whether to try talking her way out of it first, considering she was going to need to return to that part of the botanical gardens either way, and the lion's tail lead her to suspect he'd be able to outrun them quite easily, but Grim's urging lead her to deciding that 'cheesing it' was indeed the better option.

She'd picked up Grim into her arms, one leg poised to make the first leap of a get-away, when the hyena beastman she'd later come to know as Ruggie appeared, preventing an all-out conflict.

"Hrmph… Next time you stink up my territory, there's gonna be a price to pay, herbivores!"

Was the last thing said between them during their first meeting, Tomoe watching on silently, still on-guard, until he left, and she let out a quiet breath.

Her mind was quickly turned to other matters.

Still...his boldness in stepping so close to her to confirm his suspicions did leave quite an impression on her.

To sum it up, her first impression was that he was someone to be wary around. Not meant in any negative way toward him, just that if they were to become enemies, he's someone she couldn't underestimate.

Book 2

As soon as they encountered Ruggie, Tomoe immediately knew he'd done something, like magic of some kind, knowing food was the one thing Grim would never concede, and so was immediately suspicious of him. She knew, at least, by this point that Grim couldn't lie to save his life, so she believed what he said about feeling like his body was copying Ruggie's.

After being assigned to the case by Crowley, and hearing all of the students report feeling like their body was moving on its own...her gut was telling her he was the most likely suspect. But she refrained from saying anything about her suspicions until she had more proof.

And she DEFINITELY caught Jack mumbling to himself about how he didn't think he'd become a target.

Frankly? She thought it was sloppy. If they wanted to go undiscovered, they should have had one of their own fake an injury; or at the very least fake narrowly escaping getting hurt.

And as soon as she heard that Savannaclaw had lost to Diasomnia the past years, and that they would be paired up against Diasomnia in the first round of the tournament she already had most of the case figured out.

On Leona's side of things…

All this planning, almost time for his plan to be put into action, and here comes this meddling herbivore and her hairball familiar playing detective?

��And she figured him out, and thwarted his plans.

Typical.

Because of course; life had never given him anything he wanted before, no matter how hard he'd worked for it, so why would it this time?

He still held some lingering resentment for what happened…though a lot of it was directed inwards, swearing at himself for being bested by such a simple, doe-eyed herbivore.

But after all was said and done, she didn't hold a grudge. Since, because of that vision she somehow saw...she understood. She understood exactly where all those feelings came from, and roughly how they lead to where they did.

She decided to pretend like the whole entire thing hadn't even happened, not letting her perception of him be defined by it.

But what he hated the most was that...after he came to following his overblot. He didn't find the same scorn in her eyes as he did in the others'. Not even the anger and disappointment in Ruggie and Jack's. Instead it was... No, he didn't know what it was.

Neither did she.

But he quickly decided to just stop thinking about it.

She didn't. She couldn't.

Especially after the match they played against each other. Even with her only acting as a strategist, playing against him... It brought her a feeling she didn't have the words to describe.

Book 3

When he heard what she'd done, he was absolutely floored. He thought she really must be stupid. Or absolutely insane! Maybe both...

That she'd really go out of her way to ask for every single one of Azul's contracts at NRC to be broken if she fulfilled her end of the deal...it was the gutsiest, most arrogant, foolhardy thing he'd ever heard someone try.

What was weirder to him was how calm she looked about it. Like stated earlier, insane...or maybe she really did have some trick card up her sleeve?

He wasn't counting on it, though.

During Book 3 after being kicked out of their dorm, while Irina had decided to brave one of the unused 'storage' rooms, Tomoe and Grim ended up sharing a sleeping bag on the floor of Leona's room.

Her first thought upon seeing it was that she desperately wanted to clean it. And seeing as she's used to getting up at 05:00 every day...she took the chance to at least get all the clothes laying around the room into a few small piles in a corner of the room, divided by garment type.

As for how she ended up getting his help...

Picture HOURS of loud enka singing. As well as the intro songs of anime she'd watched with her siblings growing up.

Seeing her, to him surprising, ruthlessness in getting his help, Leona gained quite a bit of respect for her as a person after it was all over. In fact they both ended up realizing that, despite the obvious difference in her being so hands-on and his hands-off approach, they were remarkably similar. In Leona, for the first time, she found someone who could keep up with her natural quick-thinking. She actually felt her heart flutter a little when their first chess match against each other resulted in a draw.

And after the events at Mostro Lounge, she 'somehow' seemed to find her way to where he was more often. Or perhaps it was him who just 'happened' to be in places she'd pass by. Maybe a bit of both. They both began to introduce each other to more and more strategic board games, Tomoe to Yoté and Dara, Leona to Shogi and Go, and kept finding their win-lose ratio begin to plateau as soon as the other figured out the rules. It didn't take long before many students were betting on who would win the next match. They may not have been there for the actual games themselves, but it was usually easy to tell who won, lost, or if it was a draw based on the two's respective moods.

It felt refreshing to for once be allowed to go all out against someone and not have to bother thinking about being polite all the time. She was still very polite toward everyone else, of course, but he was a special exception. The two teased each other quite often, too. It seemed that both of them could dish it out, but neither could really take it, huffing and pouting and becoming defensive when the other did it. He made her incredibly frustrated at times, which was a very new experience for her, as she'd never had an equal she could really get upset at without it being for good reason before. With him she didn't always need to be responsible and mature or relied upon. She kinda liked it. He could get under her skin in a way no one else had ever managed to; challenged her in a way she'd never realized she craved.

And as for his side of things, she had a lot more patience with him than most people did. She treated him just like she would anyone else. She wasn't afraid to call him out on it when he acted out of turn, and stuck by him even when he did, but otherwise didn't mind his grouchy, callous way of acting, sometimes even teasing him for 'acting like a grumpy cat'. Eventually it became commonplace to see her sitting under a tree while Leona used her lap as a pillow, Tomoe turning the pages of a book laid on the grass with one hand and using the other to play with his hair. And, knowing how much it hurt her that no one in Twisted Wonderland knew anything about Earth history and she thus couldn't talk about it with anyone, he let her basically infodump to him about it whenever she wanted— so long as she kept playing with his hair, of course. He always acted like he was asleep, but really, he listened. And she knew he did. And he probably knew that she knew. But they didn't say anything about it. For once, they didn't need to.

And maybe it was sorta nice…knowing he hadn't been bested by just any herbivore.

And Leona actually ended up making her more open to being a bit less hands-on, learning to delegate and to trust they were competent enough to handle themselves. And she in turn encouraged him to become more involved in the activities of his Dorm where it was needed, such as cracking down on Savannaclaw students' frequent starting of fights.

She can also tend to overwork herself sometimes, so Leona forcefully pulling her away to take a nap was exactly what she needed. And Leona having been the one at fault also gave her some kind of excuse for why she was 'slacking off'. And when Cheka visited, she was more than happy to take over Leona's responsibility of babysitting him; she'd always loved kids and had a very motherly personality, and the little lion's eyes always lit up when he begged her to tell him another story. ...Though Leona did become a little bit jealous of her spending so much time away from him when Cheka visited, so he often ended up joining in on their activities anyway.

And they'd also started sitting together at lunch more and more often.

I like to imagine that when Leona sits with Tomoe, Grim and Adeuce at lunch (Irina usually eats either with Jamil and Ruggie(when neither are busy helping out Kalim or Leona) or with Malleus) Tomoe instantly starts picking some pieces of meat from his tray to it on hers, and replacing it with some of the vegetables from hers

She eats a lot more vegetarian food than meat, so I imagine she used the argument that this way they're both getting more varied diets

He still leaves most of the vegetables untouched…most of them. He does eat a little bit of it. Sometimes.

Book 4

For just a second, just one, Leona wondered if maybe he'd offer for her to stay at some some hotel in the Sunset Savannah over the break, knowing just how awful the heat isolation was in the rickety old house Tomoe and her dorm-mates lived in.

But then he remembered his brother and sister-in-law would probably be bugging him to meet her. Even worse if Cheka found out she was there. He seemed to like her just as much as he liked Leona himself.

Book 5

There's not much going on this book so instead I'll write a bit more about the internal parts, as well as some details I didn't know where else to write

She saw through that protective façade of his. Saw the good in him. She saw a man who cared a lot more than he would ever let on, who wanted to prove his worth, that he was worth more than the weight of a crown he was born a decade too late for, a weight that would always weight him down like a shackle of phantom pain…but had given up hope he could ever change it, or that the chain would ever weight less.

Each time she revealed just how well she truly saw him, he felt his pulse begin to race with a cold sweat, feeling completely and utterly naked under her gaze.

But it was also all he'd ever wanted.

To not feel the weight of that steel ball on his ankle. To look into someone's eyes and realize that for once, they weren't looking into a one-way mirror, but through glass, straight at him.

For Leona the man, not the prince, to be perceived.

Because of Tomoe, Leona now knows what happens in:

The Journey to the West

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Water Margin

The Art of War

The Tale of Genji

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

The Iliad

The Odyssey

Don Quixote

Les Misérables

All of Shakespeare's written works

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Poetic and Prose Edda (sources on Norse mythology)

The Saga of Grettir

He's picked it all up the many times he's pretended to be asleep on Tomoe but has actually mostly just been listening to her talk.

Now, she never gets details from her favorite books wrong. But if she ever did, he'd be able to correct her about ANY detail. He hopes it doesn't actually come to that though because then he'd need to break the weird kayfabe of whatever the heck their current relationship would be classified as and actually admit he's been paying very close attention to her this whole time.

Of course he knows she already knows, but saying it WITH WORDS is another thing entirely.

Cloudcalling the Savannah

This is, understandably, considering it's Leona's hometown event, a pretty big moment for them. I'm gonna include a lot of quotes

Tomoe tells him that, though she'd heard him complain about his family before, she could never entirely see exactly why he seemed so frustrated. But now, she understands exactly why. She's also frustrated now. She talks to him about ideas like putting up solar panels; the Sunset Savannah has nothing if not sunlight, after all. So that energy could fuel more industries, in turn giving jobs to the people in the slums both as workers on Solar plants, but also in the factories, and making deliveries. And they found yet another common ground. Basically, she's the only one who's really on the same wavelength as Leona, both in terms of their very intelligent, logical minds, as well as seeing exactly how short-sighted and misguided his family's efforts are.

She says, upon seeing the golden fountain: "In my home's history, there was once a queen of a country going through a famine while the nobility still lived large in their mansions and palaces. When a revolt started, and the common-folk lead a march to the palace to demand the king open his overflowing granaries to them, just to be able to feed themselves, she is said to have stated: 'If they are hungry, let them eat cake.'"

Leona, who's listened to her ramble on about history for countless hours, knows that the quote was 1) not at all from Japanese history, 2) only misattributed to her, and 3) only later on. But Tomoe says: "The point still stands, so they don't need to know that." And his respect for her grows a bit more.

[ When they're at the market ]

"Unfortunately, I don't have much to spare."

"If you recall, the monthly sum the Headmage provides me with is supposed to cover food for me, Grim and Irina for an entire month. A shiny bauble doesn't fill an empty stomach." Grim complains. "Grim, we were given these ribbons, so we have mementos already. And our hosts are being very generous allowing us to stay here free of charge. They even bought you your juice."

[and then Leona says he'll pay for whatever Grim gets]

"Now Grim, what do we say?"

"Sure sure, thanks and all that, now I gotta pick!"

Smiling, Tomoe shakes her head in amusement. While Grim is distracted with the thing he got, Tomoe goes closer to Leona. "Thank you."

Leona says: "The hairball already said it himself. But I won't turn away even more gratitude." Tomoe shakes her head again, look on her face even more amused.

"I'm thanking you myself, for getting it for him. We would survive without it, yes, but I do like to see that happy look on his face. So thank you, for spoiling him in my stead."

"Huh, wonder where the three who usually watch Cheka are… …Oh, don't tell me." Leona said.

"Oh, yes." Answered Kifaji. "I do hope you're prepared, Prince Leona."

The aforementioned prince only 'tsk'ed in reply.

'Ah.' she thought. She turned to him.

"I suppose we should expect a challenge then."

Leona could practically feel the look Neji must've shot him at overhearing this exchange (which he pointedly chose not to turn to see) drilling into his head. It had been very few people who could really see into his head like that. Even if this itself wasn't a very groundbreaking example of insight into him, it was enough that Neji would get curious. But he remained steadfast that he would NOT be giving the old bird even a milimeter, lest he take a mile.

He was not ready to have any sort of conversation about the topic he presumed he'd be asked about.

...about Tomoe. About him and Tomoe.

And let's not even mention when Cheka decided he'd start calling her 'anty Tomoe'.

He was not looking forward to his next trip home...

Thought speaking of trips... When, after the Bead Brawl, Leona, Lilia, Vil and Kalim all sped away in his car, leaving her, Grim, Jack, Spike (still suffering from a terrible sunburn) behind with Neji...she felt a bit forlorn.

She...kinda wished he'd taken her along, too.

Book 6

She went after Grim. The whole incident made her realize just how important Grim had become to her in such a short time; she felt like a mother who'd lost her child. She was worried for the others too, especially Leona, but she knew they could handle themselves.

Or at least so she thought. But when she did see Leona again...she was so relieved. The worry for Grim had been stronger at first because she actually saw him be taken away. But seeing Leona again she realized just how worried she'd been for him too when that worry was lifted from her shoulders.

The utter relief she felt upon seeing him again, combined with the memory of the end of their visit to the Sunset Savannah finally made something click for her.

She was in love with him.

The news shocked even her at first. She hadn't realized that falling in love was something she really COULD do...she'd never had much interest in it before; had never even had a crush.

But, if there was anyone who could make her fall for them, of course it'd be him. It just made sense to her, that of all the people she'd ever been close to, that it was him.

No one else would ever be able to compare to him.

Book 7

She is asleep. She dreams of some strange, fanfiction-esque alternate reality: a historical Japanese setting based off the media she'd engaged with of the Muromachi period. Everyone she's met from Twisted Wonderland is there, as is her family and friends from back home, and she's the Samurai/Strategist/closest companion/lover of Leona, who's here the second son to the Emperor and breaks away from the Imperial family and starts a war to win personal status. She knew she couldn't persuade him it was a bad idea, so instead she decided to just do everything she could to make sure their war went smoothly.

But she's always been more interested in the lives of historical people in general, whether they be Priests or Warlords or Commoners or Emperors, than she has in the actual bloody side of warfare. So the dream barely actually shows any of the 'war' parts, seeming to be mostly just in a lull period where preparations are still being made, but the war has already broken out. And when it does show combat, there's way more of an emphasis on the strategy.

Book 8?

I'm using this as a placeholder name for whenever Crowley actually manages to find a way home for Tomoe and Irina.

Irina decides very quickly she's not going back to Earth; she's staying in Twisted Wonderland with Malleus.

But for Tomoe?

It's not that easy.

She actually has something to go back to.

She has people she loves in her world; her mother, father, sister, brother, grandparents, and her friends Tooru, Kaede and Miki. Before she was sent to Twisted Wonderland she got into the school she'd always wanted to go to and was prepared to study history and eventually get a teaching degree, and become a history teacher, like she's wanted ever since she was very small.

She was just about to celebrate her brother's birthday, and then later that week go to a fireworks festival with her friends-- their last before they'd all start going to separate schools for the first time and not be able to hang out as much. It was a bit sad...but also hopeful. Bittersweet. They were growing, and while things wouldn't stay the same, in some ways they would become even better.

Then she wakes up in an uncomfortable coffin to a talking cat almost burning her to a crisp trying to steal the uniform she doesn't remember putting on.

And she's forced to become a janitor working only for room and board, in a dilapidated hovel of a house, trying to keep that talking cat- who can breathe fire- in line enough to not get both her, him, and the other student from her world she needs to look after from being expelled and kicked out to survive on the streets in a world none of them are ready for.

All the while, she's wondering if her family and friends are worried about her. And she has to deal with the headmage, who clearly has no plans on actually going out of his way to try and find a way home for her nor Irina.

But it's not all bad. She makes friends at Night Raven College. Ace and Deuce, the troublemakers. And every time she gets dragged into the conflicts of the other dorms, she still manages to make more friends, and resolve conflicts in the process, leading to her becoming quite respected by the students she's met.

So when one of them tells her she's staring to fit in a little TOO well...she can't say she disagrees.

She slowly starts to lose the feeling she had of her stay at NRC only being temporary. She started to have fun, with her friends, losing herself in those small moments of joy, like seeing Ace and Deuce fight over something insignificant, or Grim fall asleep after stuffing himself on tuna and needing to carry him to bed herself, or just learning more about the worlds from its residents.

And somewhere along the way, she got very attached to the people in Twisted Wonderland she considered dear to her. And some of them got very attached to her too. ...Even one who initially tried not to.

She came to see Grim and Irina like family. Ace and Deuce as her best friends. And...she even fell in love for the first time.

But still...

Even though she's 19, that doesn't mean she still doesn't have moments where she just wants to hug her mom. Reminisces about memories with the people from her world she loves and misses.

So she's faced with a choice.

If she goes home, she loses Grim, Irina, Ace and Deuce forever. She loses Leona.

But she will never fully be able to explain that grief to anyone. Because no one would believe her when she told them why she disappeared for so long.

And she'll live forever knowing her troublemaking little cat and her big grumpy lion will go on without her, still remembering her. Knowing that she can never meet them again. And that no one would ever be able to understand.

Going back would feel like 'waking from a dream'. Going on pretending it really was a dream, not speaking of it...would feel like saying the experiences she had, the ways she grew, the people she grew to love, her bonds with them...that none of it mattered.

If she stays, she loses her mother, father, her siblings, grandparents, and her friends. People who have known her for her entire life; who hold memories-- parts of her-- even she herself has forgotten. Friends and family who will never know what happened to her, and go on forever fearing she was met with some kind of horrible fate.

And she can never become a history teacher, what she's wanted her entire life.

She can never experience any part of the culture she grew up in again. Not even the language; her mother tongue. For even if she has children, and she teaches it to them, if they don't carry it forward, it'll be forever lost.

How are you really supposed to go about making a choice like that?

Even though she knows what her gut is telling her to choose, isn't it a little too impulsive to just trust her gut in a situation like this?

She needs time to think. And she says as much.

Irina stays over at Diasomnia for a while, taking Grim with her, to give Tomoe space to think.

The expression on his face as she says bye for a little while tugs painfully at her heart.

And as she spends time for herself, just thinking, over the next few days, the realization hits her just how strange it feels that Leona isn't there either. That she has no one to spill her thoughts to. And she recalls all the times she'd thought aloud next to him, and they'd ended up bickering about something or other. Even though it might have been considered fighting...it always warmed her heart in the end.

She wondered if he felt the same way about her...if just her presence was enough to light up his day. She wasn't sure those words would apply...but she knew him well enough to know she'd become special to him, somehow. Even just the possibility that her leaving MIGHT make him feel like how she felt now...

As was usually the case, especially when one of the Ramshackle quartet was involved, a secret rarely stayed a secret for long at Night Raven.

And inevitably, word that the headmage had found a way home for the Prefect of Ramshackle dorm found its way to the lion's den.

And for the first time in a long, long time...he felt panic. Saw the vision of her slipping through his fingers like sand. Just imagining it he felt...so helpless...

And for once, he had trouble sleeping.

He remembered what life had been like before she arrived.

He didn't want to go back to it.

And he knew she liked him. He wasn't stupid. So maybe, just maybe...he might be able to convince her to reconsider.

...Yeah no, he himself could barely believe that. But what was he gonna do? Just let her go? No way. Not now. Not after she wormed her way into his heart like that.

How could she just not tell him what was going on in the first place?! To have found out from some rumor mill... He was pissed.

And desperate.

And so scared...worried he was too late. That she'd already made up her mind.

"It's...an impossible decision, really. I have people I love on both sides. But I've made up my mind now."

He thought his heart would stop. Or maybe it already had? His ears were more perked up than he'd ever had them before...she really had him acting like some damn prey animal.

"I'm going to stay."

Only when she said those words did he realize for how long he'd been holding his breath.

...She loved the people in both worlds just as much...but she'd realized what her priorities were. Caring for Grim, and being with Leona. It felt right, like what she was supposed to do.

Of course she still loved her family very, very much.

But if she went back home, she'd most likely be 'that one mysterious disappearance case who turned up again' for the rest of her life. Not to mention that she'd be the only one who knew what had happened in the months she'd been gone; no one else would ever believe her.

And she knew that her friends and family had each other. But Grim only really had her. And she wasn't going to just leave him.

She could always find a new way forward in life; new goals, new dreams. But people are irreplaceable.

Of course, there were still a lot of feelings she'd need to sort through. But there would be no matter what she chose...

He sighed.

"Damn Herbivore...gettin' me all worked up like that... You're lucky I—..."

Holding onto his hand, she leans her cheek against his palm, closing her eyes and nuzzling against him.

"I know."

"I love you too."

"Tch. Don't go gettin' all sappy on me..." But he still leaned his forehead against hers. "...Tomoe."

She was his pillow for a long time after that. More than she usually was because this time he didn't just use her lap as a pillow, but her entire body.

He really had underestemated her. She was the first person to ever scare him. To ever make him feel desperate. The first to make him vulnerable.

Every weak link, jagged edge and hard surface...but also every spot of warmth, shining light, and gentle curve.

Seeing all that he is, good and bad...and loving every part just the same.

Even if she gets annoyed when he refuses let her get up in the morning and makes her late to class, or flicks his tail in her face when he's upset, or bosses her around telling her to make him dinner while he freeloads on the kitchen counter.

She loves that too. Because it's just like him. And every quirk and habit is proof of him, and his presence in her life.

And of course, she makes sure to get back at him, too.

Chat why am I crying—

BUT I'M FINALLY DONE

Tag list: @another-random-paradise @thehollowwriter @faefum @cactus13-rolloflammesimp @beneathsakurashade

@nyx-of-night @theolivetree123 @babyghoul138 @skibidibabygirl @screamintoad

@gingacat @buttholesparkles @scinti1llat3 @gimmeurmoneyagh @angelwishess

@crimsonrose34

Please let me know if you ever wanna be added or removed! ^^

#leomoe 🦁x🌻#twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #leona kingscholar #🌻tomoe #leona kingscholar x oc #leoyuu #leona kingscholar x yuu #Spotify

36 notes · View notes

wing-ed-thing · 1 year ago

Text

Girl's Night (Konoha 12 Girls x Reader x Shizune x Tsunade)

Synopsis: After a long week for everyone, Ino decides it's time for a girl's night.

Word Count: 3k

Tags/Warnings: Fem!Reader, Ino Blackmails Shikamaru, Dinner and Mocktails, Girls Supporting Gals, Men Being Invasive, Discussion of Nicotine Addiction

Notes: DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS TO TRACK DOWN ALL THESE SOLO PANELS???

Tsunade was still screaming by the time the door closed. Ino, still reeling from her latest interaction with the Fifth Hokage, was still frozen outside. You saw her on your way in, unaware of the horrible interaction she was still processing. And when she noted the rather pleasant look in your eye on your way to the office, she tried to warn you, but no warning could prepare you for the absolute hurricane on the other side of the office doors.

You slumped down next to her, your important documents plopping to the floor next to you. Ino still had hers in her lap, scrunched between her lap and chest as she seemed to curl in on herself. And as your head began to droop, Ino offered you an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

“It’s not you if that makes you feel any better,” she said, “Lady Tsunade has been chewing out everyone who’s visited her today. The guy sulking before me just left when you came.”

The long groan you let out signaled that, no, it did not make you feel any better. You ran two hands over your hairline, pushing your hitai-ate back along with the sea of strands behind it. You took your loose forehead protector in your hands.

“I need a break,” you lamented, letting your head drop again, “I don’t know how much more I have in me. When the day’s over, I’m going straight home to sleep away the entire weekend…” You groaned into your knees, slowly curling into a tighter and tighter ball.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Ino scrambled from beside you to stand and take you by the hands. “You’re not leaving me.” She heaved you up with a tight grip on your wrists, putting her back into heaving up your dead weight. Ino was surprisingly strong, something you often forgot until you were manhandled by the scrawniest muscles you’ve ever seen. You stumbled to your feet, and before you could slump back down, Ino had picked up your work.

“But Ino—” She slapped the stack of paperwork against your chest despite disgruntled protest. “Ow…”

“No!” she huffed, tugging you down the hall and the stairwell of the Hokage building. Ino marched along as if she were on a warpath. A few Jōnin leaped out of your way. “It is a Friday night, and I’ve decided that we’re going to have fun!” Ino gripped the files in her hands as a burning fury blazed in her eye.

“We?”

Ino whipped you around when you finally reached the exit, already spewing about all the potential activities you could do for the night. She tucked the reports under her arm to take you excitedly by the hands.

“I’ll talk to Sakura at the hospital, and you find Hinata and Tenten. We’ll meet at my place at seven, no, six!” You flailed your hands for her to let go, which she did without a moment of hesitation in explaining her plan. “I expect everyone to be dressed to the nines, so don’t embarrass me! I have a whole plan!”

You retied your hitai-ate, feeling more secure in organizing your stray hairs.

And just like that, Ino was gone.

***

Hinata was easy to find, with Tenten being a little less so. However, Tenten hadn’t needed any convincing.

“A girl’s night?” she practically cried, just about tackling you to the ground in joy. “Yes, yes, of course, yes!” When you regained a moment to breathe, she glanced around at her two teammates, who had both stopped training when you arrived. “Please tell me it’s soon.”

“Ino’s place at six,” you relayed, “And she’s expecting everyone to be kinda dressed up.” Tenten squealed something about pants that was too high a decibel to hear. Lee raised his hand somewhere in the background.

“Can Neji and I come?” he asked, much to Neji’s complaint. You didn’t even have the opportunity to respond.

“It’s girl’s night, you idiot!”

Tenten threw something from her arsenal that had Lee diving to the ground.

You supposed she really needed a break from her team after all…

Hinata, on the other hand, required much more convincing.

“I, uh— I just don’t know. I wouldn’t know what to wear.” She played with the gravel under her boot. Hinata refused to look at you, clearly stressed about Ino’s orders for attire as you lounged on the Hyūga engawa, unbothered.

“If you’re worried, you could just wear what you usually wear,” you offered. While not what Ino intended, you assumed Hinata’s usual jacket would be better than her riling herself up and fainting over picking a new outfit.

“No!” she asserted, her sudden volume— well, volume for Hinata— surprising you enough to prop yourself up on your elbows. She cast her eyes back toward the ground. “I just, um— I don’t know…”

“I can help you pick out an outfit if you want.”

“Oh… I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

And so went the cycle until you finally strongarmed Hinata into finally letting you inside.

***

You arrived at Ino’s first. Inoichi appeared surprised, although not too shocked to see you on his doorstep. He greeted you warmly, stepping to the side to let you in.

“Another girl’s night?”

“Dad,” you heard Ino whine as you stepped into the entryway. She appeared down the hallway, hands in the middle of adjusting her hair as a bobby pin sat clenched between her teeth as she glared at him. “Go away!”

Inoichi laughed almost sheepishly, having been through all of this many times before. You took off your shoes.

“Girl’s night, I know, but at least let me make you some tea before you all head out.” You offered Inoichi a grateful smile as he retreated into the kitchen just as Ino made her way down the hall.

“Oh my god, is that new?” She gestured to your top. You were about to ask her the same thing. Her slim, violet blouse draped asymmetrically down one arm, and you could have sworn it would have been all she talked about if it were new. Ino walked a circle around you before pushing you fully into the apartment. “Please tell me you’ll let me borrow it next time?”

“Only if you tell me where you got yours from. Sheek seventies goddess!”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, you’re too kind.”

You sat down across from her at a small table. You remembered when the Yamanaka’s switched it out for a larger one, but the small table had remained close to the entryway. Ino immediately settled her cheek in her hand, kicking her feet lightly as she sat.

“It was actually Tenten’s if you’d believe it! She said she didn’t like the color, and I was like are you crazy?” Ino narrated. “But then again, I know she’s more of a warm-color babe, but I’m still trying to get her to get personally color-tested.”

You heard Inoichi shuffle around one of the corners, and Ino sprung up to meet him, shooing him off again before returning with your tea. The amber liquid sat in handmade ceramic mugs painted with natural colors. A little sugar bowl sat on the side, a smiley face drawn in the grains with the teaspoon.

***

The rest of your friends arrived fairly punctually, with Tenten arriving fifteen minutes before your scheduled time. (You supposed she really, really needed a break from her team.) Sakura and Hinata didn’t come a second late. After a round of fawning over outfits and eyeliner, you were off into the night to follow Ino’s detailed itinerary.

“Alright, everyone, I want pictures!”

“Ino, where did you even get that?”

Ino set a tiny camera on a nearby planter, propping it up by the shrub that sat inside. She quickly backed up to the four of you, nearly toppling Sakura to the ground. She grabbed Hinata by the arm, ready to pose.

“It’s on a timer, you guys, quick!” Ino exclaimed through gritted teeth, and with only a few seconds to spare, you all posed together for your first documented girl’s night. She even got a few more in by the time you decided it was time to head into the lounge.

The Silver Shurriken was the new lounge that opened up in the village’s downtown, and ever since its opening, Ino hadn’t been able to stop talking about it. You’ve all likely heard the menu several times— they specialized in Mizu no Kuni-style tapas— in addition to the wide selection of specialty mocktails. And for someone who was adamant about saying there was never anything to do in Konoha, Ino was over the moon.

Ino just about ordered everything, and as half of the table stared over at her with wide eyes, she flashed a fat wad of cash from her wallet.

“Don’t worry about it, girlies; dinner’s on Shikamaru tonight,” she announced with a wink.

“What the fuck, Ino! Where’d you get all that?” Sakura nearly spat out her water, leaning over to thumb through the stack in her hand. Ino fanned her smug expression with the stack before tucking it back inside her purse.

“Shikamaru’s mom doesn’t know about his new smoking habit.”

Tenten couldn’t help the single, boisterous laugh that jumped from her throat. She slammed a hand on the table.

“So you’re blackmailing him?”

Ino ran her fingers through her bangs, casting her almost guilty gaze off somewhere toward the ceiling. But as your food came to the table, the group grew distracted. Each of you eyed the small plates— one of everything came— and thanked your server in a chorus. Ino trailed off, forgetting what she was saying.

“I wouldn’t call it blackmail so much as…”

“As what?” Tenten snarked with another laugh, reaching to pull a seasoned pepper from one of the plates.

Ino frowned, a pout anchoring her lips downward as she slapped Tenten’s hand away with attitude and a roll of her eyes.

“Oh, you’re really questioning my methods when dinner and drinks are being paid for?”

She had a point.

With a motion of your brow, you held up your fruity mixed drink, a cracker with cheese halfway up to your lips.

“To Shikamaru’s nicotine addiction!”

You exchanged pointed eye contact with the other girls at the table before you all took a collective shrug. The other girls raised their glasses.

“To Shikamaru’s nicotine addiction!”

***

You barely made a crack at a quarter of what you ordered before you were interrupted.

“Sakura? Sakura Haruno?” A group of shinobi who were walking by stopped at your high top as they passed through, one tapping Sakura on the shoulder and nearly causing her to jump. You almost slapped his hand off of her, but she grabbed your wrist underneath the table.

“Eh, yes?” she smiled. You exchanged a glance with Ino, who took a dip from her drink, eyes flickering up and back toward her glass. Sakura’s hand left yours to intercept the shinobi’s, redirecting him expertly.

“I thought I recognized you!” He nearly burst into tears. “This angel right here saved my life!” He turned to proclaim to the rest of his friends, who you guessed were just about as drunk as he was. Only when the shinobi began to remove his shirt did your mutual glances turn into gapes of horror. By this time, the man actually was crying. “Got stabbed through the chest! I didn’t think I’d see the light of day again!”

Sure enough, there was a scar about three inches in length on the right side of his chest.

“Oh, well, thank you,” Sakura laughed cordially, though wearily. “I’m glad it’s healed well. Have a good night, boys.” A vein twitched on her forehead, clearly unenthused at having her work brought into her time off. As vexed as she was, she wasn’t about to get all of you kicked out of the Silver Shurriken.

“Tenten! Hey! We didn’t know you’d be here!” A voice that was unmistakably Lee carried loudly from the front entrance. Tenten immediately tensed. Facing away from the door, her eyes darted to you and Hinata as if to silently ask if what she feared was truly behind her. “Tenten!”

You soon realized that Lee wasn’t alone.

“Oh, hey, guys!” Naruto chimed, hands clasped together behind his head. Still engaged with the band of shinobi she had apparently saved the lives of, Sakura did a double take. “Fancy seeing you all here!”

“Lee told us you all were doing a girl’s night, so we decided to do a guy’s night!” Kiba barked. “It was meant to be!” As the guys settled into the table next to yours, Hinata flagged down your waiter to discreetly ask for a to-go box and the check.

“Hinata? Hinata, is that you?” Neji pushed through the group of guys with a stern scowl. “What are you doing here? Is this why you skipped this evening’s training?"

You didn’t know how it happened, but your entire girl’s night had devolved into chaos. Between the guys constantly trying to engage you from the table over to the line of people asking Sakura for medical advice, Tenten ripping Lee to shreds, and the fact that Hinata had apparently snuck out, your night had gone awry. Ino smacked someone who tried to touch her hair.

“Hey,” Hinata whispered. It was a miracle that you heard her. You turned, and to your surprise, your food was already packaged in boxes in her hands. A few reusable bottles clinked in the tote she slung over her shoulder, having poured your drinks in them under the table. You could only wonder where she learned that one. “Let’s go.” She gestured with her head.

With a series of rapid taps on the leg and pointed eye contact, you collected the girls quickly, each of you rising from your table with bags and jackets already in hand. Ino paid the check in full with a generous tip, ignoring protests from Shikamaru in the background. You hardly said goodbye, each of you scurrying out of the lounge as quickly as possible, pissed.

You regrouped outside. Ino nearly kicked over a potted plant.

“Can we just take a second to talk about—”

“That was unbelievable!” Tenten, who was likely the most flustered, exclaimed. “Like, what the actual fuck?” She buried her head in her hands. “I’m sorry, guys. I should have known something like this was going to happen. It’s my fault.”

You were all on her in an instant.

“Hey! Stop that!”

“No, it wasn’t your fault; it was just an unlucky night.”

“You didn’t do anything, Tenten!”

Ino sighed, starting back down the road with a defeated gait.

“So… back to my place?” she sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the rest of you. You began to follow, but Sakura stayed, looking off toward the Hokage building. A single night continued to illuminate one of the upstairs offices.

“Is Lady Tsunade still working?” she mused with knitted brows. “That can’t be right.”

“She was when I dropped off my mission report before I went to Ino’s,” Hinata chimed, coming up next to Sakura with your packaged food still in hand. Sakura turned to the rest of you with a sympathetic expression. Ino puffed up immediately.

“Oh, no! No! I know what you’re about to say, and no!” She pointed a finger rudely, having her hands in the air as if to physically ward off Sakura’s unspoken idea. “Tsunade is the whole reason why we’re having a girl’s night out in the first place! To forget about work!”

“I know she’s been crabby as of late, but if she’s been staying late handling all the village paperwork, that’s probably why.” Sakura’s lip turned downward into a pout. “It would be a nice thing to do. We have plenty of food.”

“I think a night in would be a great idea. Things around here have been pretty hectic.” Hinata nodded, holding up the stack of boxes. “We certainly have enough.”

“Shizune is probably still in there,” you said, causing Tenten to noticeably wince.

“Yikes.”

Much to Ino’s deflation, it appeared a consensus was made.

***

Tsunade looked exhausted. A cup of coffee sat in front of her, and while she appeared awake enough to get her paperwork done, you could see the fatigue in her eyes. Shizune was just about dozing off at a table pushed to the side of the room. Tonton was asleep at her feet.

“Huh?” Tsunade sounded at the opening of her office doors. She stood alert, her reading glasses at the tip of her nose. “What happened? Why are you all here so late?” She came around her desk, studying you with intent concern.

“We saw you were still working,” Sakura started, gesturing to the leftovers you brought from the Silver Shurriken. “And we were doing a bit of a girl’s night.” You watched as Tsunade’s expression appeared to soften.

“And we brought food!” You smiled, ushering the rest of you farther into the office. Shizune sat up from her desk in acute surprise, delayed in registering everything. Tsunade’s neutral expression slowly morphed from acute concern to pleasantly surprised.

“It’s from the new lounge that opened up downtown,” Ino added.

“Oh,” she said, a spurring noise in the back of her throat as she fought for words to say, “Thank you. Here, let me put down a blanket. We can sit.” Tsunade scurried off to a corner of the office with a certain amount of giddiness.

You helped her set out the green blanket before you sat down together. Hinata opened all the containers as Shizune ransacked the cabinets for a few paper plates. You all ate together, your girl’s night not ruined after all.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes (tw knife violence): the last time i went out with my friends, i almost got into a fight and stabbed someone... twice.

151 notes · View notes

veroniquesboutique · 1 year ago

Text

Kinkvember Day 23 - Exhibitionism / Uniform

For Kinkvember day 23!

Neji Hyuga x AFAB!Reader

Content warnings: AFAB!reader, female reader, age gap, power difference, exhibitionism, hate sex, public sex, f-masturbation, PV sex, unprotected, facial, degradation/fighting, brat taming, pet names (darling, good girl), asshole!Neji, bratty!reader

18+ Minors DNI!

More under the cut

The only benefits to working under Neji Hyuga on these long-term missions are his byakugan doing most of the hard work for you and how unfairly mouth-watering he looks in his uniform. Other than that, he was a total asshole that you hated working with.

“We’re all clear,” His stern voice breaks through your thoughts, and you shake out your head to bring yourself back to the moment. He’s looking at you with his eyebrows high up on his forehead, which means he’s probably tried to get your attention a few times, and you’ve been ignoring him in favor of begging the universe to hasten this mission towards it’s end.

“Great,” You mutter, rolling your eyes a little and settling onto the ground to wait for the other two on your team to catch up from their own first task.

“We have to keep going,” He crosses his arms, staring down at you on the ground, and you wish your mouth didn’t dry out at the feeling of him towering over you, at the feeling of staring up at him through your long eyelashes. He’s stupid and mean, but unfortunately the butterflies in your stomach only care that he’s hot.

“We should wait for the others to get back,” You throw out at him, checking your nails to avoid looking up at him.

“We are losing time if we don’t go now.”

“It’s safer to move as a group.”

He shoots his glare back down at you, his mouth pressed into a line to give you the time to reconsider your tone. You, of course, don’t.

“Why do you choose to do nothing but undermine me?” He asks, taking a step closer in an attempt to coerce compliance out of you. “I am your superior; you listen to me.”

“I do other things too. Like sit here and wait for you to need my help. It’s not my fault you always have it under control.” You lean back on your hands to give yourself space from his oppressive aura. “And superior is really bold when I’m literally older than you-”

“-And I’m literally in charge right now! I’m the highest rank shinobi-” His resolve breaks for a moment, and he snaps for just a few words before he sucks in a breath and irons himself out again. You smirk, knowing that you’ve gotten under his skin, even if it’s only a little bit. He shakes the tight anger down his body. “-on this mission,” He finishes his thought with a much tighter and controlled voice, “So, it is your obligation to follow commands from your superior.”

“I’m not getting up until the others get back.” You put you own foot down.

“Then I will leave you here.”

“Ah, yes brilliant idea, captain. That way you can go off without any backup, I can be left here helpless and alone, and the other two have no idea how to find either of us. Really impeccable leading here.” You roll your eyes, and there’s a moment where you feel a little bit of guilt deep in your stomach, but the Hokage has paired you with Neji on missions more times than you can count now to help you “see what each other brings to the table”, and every time he’s all mighty on his high horse, drunk on power, bossing you around even though you graduated years before him. If he would just watch his tone when he gave you orders, sounding a little less like he thinks he’s better and smarter than you, then you’d listen to him. If he maybe considered your ideas with little more than an eye roll, then you’d listen to him. If he would just treat you like an equal shinobi and not one of the kids in training, then you’d listen to him.

But he doesn’t, so you don’t.

“You petulant child-”

“-Child, are you joking-” You scoff, flabbergasted.

“-Yes, child because all you do is act like a child. I have half a right mind to report you to the Hokage and have you stripped of your title, but I am not fully convinced that that’s not what you want considering the way you treat me. You have never once been helpful on a mission, only a burden. Pull your weight and listen for once,” He snaps at you, reprimanding you like a disappointed and overwhelmed father, and you narrow your eyes as his words fall from his lips and hit you like little stings all over your body. He lets it hang in the air, and you can tell by the smug look on his face that he thinks his won. You fucking hate it when he thinks he’s won.

“Make me.”

Continued on AO3...

78 notes · View notes

actuallysaiyan · 2 years ago

Text

It's All Over But The Crying(Neji Hyūgax Fem!Reader)

warnings: angst, fluff, crying word count: 0.8k pairings: Neji Hyūga x Fem!Reader a/n: Here's a little comfort fic for @imamonster456, hope this brightens your day!

You sit on your bed, completely defeated by the events that have just unfolded. While you were happy to end such a toxic relationship, you wished that it never had to end like this. As the sun begins to set, you look out your window and realize just how much time you’ve wasted. The wounds are beginning to sting and you curl up on your bed.

A breath you didn’t know you were holding onto comes out in a shaky way, and that’s all it takes for you to begin sobbing. The scent of him is still on your sheets. You want to burn it all so you’ll never have to have these memories anymore. Your heart aches. As much as he wasn’t good for you, you still had these feelings lingering deep in your soul.

When you close your eyes, you remember the way he looked the last time he was in your room. You shudder at these stupid memories as more and more tears begin sliding down your face. You hate this and you hate how he played you for a fool. How will you be able to let this go now? You’re going to be haunted by these memories for life, or so it seems.

The days go by little by little, and soon you’re starting to feel a little better. Your heart still aches, but you’re able to get out of bed. Your absence does trouble someone in particular. Neji hasn’t seen you in a little while, and this really has him feeling so concerned. He decides to stop by your place after he’s done with his errands today.

It’s when he finds you in the bedroom all curled up on your bed that causes him to realize what’s happened. That jerk broke things off with you. Neji knew that guy was no good for you, but he didn’t want to impose. He’s your best friend and sometimes he knows he needs to step back, but maybe he should have said something this time.

“Sweetheart?” he calls out softly, approaching your bed slowly.

When you finally look up at him, it breaks his heart. Your eyes are all puffy and red, and you look like you’ve been crying for days. He can assume that it’s probably the truth. You just look so pitiful and he wants to scoop you up in his arms and kiss away the pain. Yet you probably don’t need that right now.

“Neji…” you breathe out, afraid of more tears spilling out. You shudder before reaching out for him.

Neji immediately sits on the bed, troubled by his own feelings and his own want to leave you here to seek out the asshole who’s made you feel this way. But he stays put, trying to be a good friend and a shoulder to cry on. You move in closer, a soft sob being strangled by your throat. He cups your face and wipes away a stray tear that has slid down your cheek. You hiccup a few times before trying to calm your breathing. It’s hard when all you want to do is cry and scream and get upset.

“What happened, sunflower?” Neji asks, using a nickname he hasn’t used on you in years.

“H-he…broke up with me.” You finally manage to spit out.

Neji knew that’s what had happened, but he wanted to hear you confirm it. He struggles with seeing you like this, because it only makes him want to cry too. You settle down against him, leaning completely on his shoulder. You manage to tell him the story of how you were beginning to have feelings for the guy, but he had never put any effort into making you feel like it was a true relationship.

“Oh sunflower…” Neji murmurs softly before kissing your forehead. He wipes away a few more tears. “I should have told you that he was no good. He’s an asshole and a loser if he doesn’t want to have a relationship with you.”

You whine, “Who would want to have a relationship with me anyway?!”

Neji swallows hard before he realizes he needs to confess his feelings to you. He knows you might reject him right now, but it will make you feel better to know someone truly loves you. He smiles sweetly before kissing your lips.

“I would. And I do,”

Your breath hitches in your throat. Neji has been your best friend since you were kids. How were you supposed to deal with such a dropped bomb like this? You shudder as you feel your tears welling up in your eyes again. Neji shakes his head softly and wipes away those fresh tears.

“You deserve the world, sunflower. Please never settle for anything less,”

You wrap your arms around Neji after hearing him say those words. Maybe things weren’t perfect right now, but you knew they’d get better. Because you have the best person in the world with you right here and right now. And nobody could ever take that away from you.

#bacon.writes #neji x you #neji x reader #neji x y/n #neji x fem!reader #neji hyuga x reader #neji hyuga x you #neji hyuga x y/n #hyuga neji x you #hyuga neji x reader #naruto #naruto shippuden

153 notes · View notes

okamirayne · 8 months ago

Text

BtB Throwback… Stirring the old feels as I plod along with chapter 9 of HHU…these Hyūgas….💔

#btb throwback #btb feels #hyuuga neji #neji hyuga #shikaneji break to breathe #break to breathe by okami rayne #break to breathe fanfiction #writing away #btb series #okami rayne #shikaneji #btb fanfiction #btb shikaneji #break to breathe shikaneji #the hyuga clan #hyuga hizashi #hiashi hyuga

35 notes · View notes

massgenocide03 · 4 months ago

Text

You're The Only One for Me

~NaruSasu Omegaverse Fanfic~

Summary: An Unexpected Transformation" follows Sasuke Uchiha, a high school junior who hides his Omega status behind suppressants and an Alpha facade due to the overwhelming expectations of his influential family. When his best friend, Naruto, returns to school after a summer of growth and self-discovery, Sasuke is confronted by Naruto’s unexpected manifestation into a confident Alpha.

Chapter 3

---

It had been a week since Naruto and Sasuke’s fight, a tension-filled seven days that felt more like an eternity. The silence between them was palpable, a thick, oppressive force hanging over every interaction. Sasuke, stubborn to the core, refused to be the first to break. Normally, Naruto would have caved by now, his hot temper usually cooling after three days at most. But this time was different—something had shifted, and Naruto wasn’t budging either.

What might have been a petty squabble between friends had spiraled into something much more significant, affecting not just them but everyone around them. The school was on edge, the air charged with a volatile mix of emotions. Naruto, newly manifested as a dominant Alpha, was struggling to control his pheromones. His scent was wild and untamed, leaking through the ineffective scent patches he wore. The air was thick with his agitated Alpha scent—sharp, almost metallic, with an undercurrent of desperation that clung to the walls like smoke.

As Sasuke brooded in his seat, lost in the turmoil of his thoughts, someone slid into the chair beside him. “Sasuke, I would advise you to reconsider your stance,” a familiar voice murmured. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain decorum when the entire school reeks of impending conflict.”

Neji’s tone was calm, polished, and measured, each word carefully chosen. He was one of the few people Sasuke considered a friend, though they weren’t as close as Sasuke and Naruto had once been. There was an unspoken understanding between them, forged by the shared burden of coming from prominent families with impossibly high expectations. But Neji had something Sasuke lacked—he was an Alpha, and that carried a weight of its own.

“I would sooner perish than yield to Naruto’s tantrum,” Sasuke responded curtly, pulling out his textbook as if to signal the end of the conversation.

Neji sighed, his white eyes watching Sasuke with a mix of concern and resignation. His long, silky black hair was tied back in a low ponytail, the loose strands catching the light as he tilted his head slightly. “Your resolve is admirable, but Naruto’s behavior is causing considerable disruption. His pheromones are agitating the Omegas and provoking the Alphas. Remind me, what was the cause of his anger?”

Sasuke scowled, his dark eyes narrowing. “It’s not my concern if the idiot can’t control his pheromones. He’s upset because he’s an imbecile.”

Neji didn’t respond immediately, simply giving Sasuke a look that conveyed understanding far beyond what Sasuke was willing to acknowledge.

The tension in the room spiked as Naruto entered, his presence impossible to ignore. His scent flooded the space, a wave of overpowering emotions that hit everyone like a physical force. The low growls of other Alphas rumbled through the room, a collective reaction to the intrusion of Naruto’s uncontrolled pheromones.

It was unbearable. The scent, once familiar and warm with hints of sunshine and something earthy, was now drowned in the stench of anger and sadness. It was suffocating, a thick, oppressive cloud that hung in the air, making it hard to breathe.

Sasuke hadn’t planned on doing anything, but as he glanced around the room, he saw the effect it was having on everyone. An Omega girl near the back was whimpering softly, her wide eyes filled with fear as she curled in on herself. Guilt gnawed at Sasuke's insides, sharp and relentless. It was his fault, after all. Naruto was angry because of him, and now everyone else was suffering because of their unresolved conflict.

Sasuke had decided a week was more than enough time for their ridiculous argument to drag on. He had been stewing in his frustration long enough, and now, the entire school was paying the price for Naruto’s stubbornness. The thought alone made his blood simmer with irritation. Resolute, he stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor, earning him a few curious glances from the rest of the class. Without sparing anyone a look, he walked to the front of the room where Naruto was slouched in his seat, staring vacantly at the chalkboard.

Without a word, Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the arm, his grip firm, and started pulling him out of the classroom. Naruto’s startled yelp echoed through the room, followed by his loud protests. “Hey, asshole! Let go of me!” Despite the resistance in his voice, Naruto didn’t actually make any serious attempts to escape Sasuke’s grasp, which only fueled Sasuke’s determination.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes at Naruto’s outburst, tightening his grip as he dragged him through the hallways. The chatter of other students faded into the background as they made their way to the rooftop. The corridor was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of disinfectant and the faint traces of Naruto’s agitated pheromones that clung to the walls. It was suffocating, a scent that gnawed at Sasuke’s nerves, making him grit his teeth in annoyance.

When they reached the rooftop, Sasuke pushed the door open with a force that made it creak ominously on its hinges. The fresh air hit them like a wave, a stark contrast to the stifling atmosphere of the school. He shoved Naruto forward, watching as he stumbled and landed unceremoniously on his butt. Naruto winced slightly, the rough landing clearly catching him off guard, but he was quick to scramble to his feet, glaring at Sasuke with a mixture of anger and confusion.

“What the fuc—”

Before Naruto could finish, Sasuke cut him off, his voice cold and sharp like the wind that whipped through the rooftop. “You fucking stink, and you’re bothering everyone else with your smell.”

Naruto’s expression twisted in anger, his fists clenching at his sides. “Well, it’s none of your business what I do, sound familiar?”

Sasuke ignored the jab, rolling his eyes at Naruto’s attempt to turn his own words against him. “Do you not know how to control your fucking pheromones?” he demanded, his tone laced with irritation. The pungent scent of Naruto’s uncontrolled pheromones was still thick in the air, like a storm cloud that refused to dissipate.

Naruto’s gaze flickered away, a stubborn set to his jaw as he repeated, “Like I said, it’s none of your business.”

Sasuke felt his irritation morph into something sharper, more insistent. “Naruto, what do you want? I’ll tell you anything as long as you stop releasing that horrible smell.”

Naruto’s expression softened slightly, a hint of relief washing over his features, but the oppressive scent of his pheromones remained. “I want you to apologize and tell me who and when you had sex.”

Sasuke bit his lip, the request catching him off guard. Apologizing was something he loathed, a bitter pill he could never quite swallow. But the memory of the chaos Naruto had caused over the past week made him reconsider. “First of all, I’m not going to apologize, I wasn’t in the wrong. And secondly, why the fuck are you so interested in my sex life?”

Naruto’s scent spiked again, this time more potent, more aggressive, and it made Sasuke wince involuntarily. The acrid smell was unlike anything he had experienced before, making his stomach churn. Normally, he wasn’t bothered by pheromones—he had learned to suppress his Omega side long ago—but this was different.

Naruto took a step closer, his eyes boring into Sasuke’s with an intensity that made Sasuke’s heart skip a beat. It was in that moment that Sasuke truly saw him, not as the annoying boy he had known for years, but as the Alpha he had become. Naruto’s once lean frame was now filled out with muscle, his presence commanding, and he stood a few inches taller than Sasuke. The realization was jarring, unsettling in a way Sasuke hadn’t anticipated.

“Fine, you don’t have to apologize, but as your best friend, I want to know who you slept with,” Naruto said, his voice lower, more controlled now, but no less demanding.

Sasuke sighed, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He had no desire to drag this out any longer, especially when the truth was gnawing at his conscience. He had always prided himself on his honesty, on his integrity, and yet here he was, standing on the precipice of a lie that had spiraled out of control.

“I lied,” Sasuke admitted, his voice barely above a whisper as he looked down at the ground, unable to meet Naruto’s gaze. “I’ve never had sex with anybody.”

The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of his confession. And then, as if a switch had been flipped, the oppressive scent that had clung to Naruto like a second skin vanished, replaced by the familiar warmth of his usual scent. It was like standing in the middle of an orange grove at the height of summer, sweet and citrusy, enveloping Sasuke in its comforting embrace. It was almost disorienting, the sudden change making Sasuke feel as though he had been plunged into a different reality altogether.

“Why’d you lie?” Naruto asked, his tone lighter now, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. It was as if the past week had never happened, as if he hadn’t been emitting the most horrible pheromones just moments ago. The ease with which he shifted his mood only served to deepen Sasuke’s shame and frustration.

“C’mon, tell me why the great Sasuke Uchiha had to stoop to lying,” Naruto teased, his voice lilting with amusement.

“No,” Sasuke replied, his tone clipped. He was in no mood for Naruto’s antics, not after everything that had transpired.

Naruto’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m a virgin too.”

Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes at the admission. “That much is obvious.”

“Hey!” Naruto protested, his voice rising in mock indignation.

“Why does it matter?” Sasuke shot back, already turning towards the door. “Let’s get back to class.”

Naruto followed, his usual sunny disposition restored. “Okay, Mr. Liar Liar Pants on Fire,” he said, smirking as he placed a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder.

Sasuke couldn’t help but feel a mix of relief and exasperation. Naruto was back to his annoying, cheerful self, and while the tension between them had eased, Sasuke knew this wasn’t the end. But for now, it was enough.

—

As Sasuke and Naruto pushed open the heavy classroom door, it was as if the atmosphere itself sighed in relief. The tension that had been choking the room only moments ago seemed to dissipate, melting away like mist under the warmth of the sun. The oppressive stench of Naruto’s agitated pheromones was gone, replaced by the familiar, sweet scent of oranges that flowed through the air like a soothing balm. The shift was almost tangible, a ripple of calm that spread through the room, easing the taut nerves of their classmates.

The change in the room was immediate. Students who had been hunched over their desks, tense and on edge, now visibly relaxed, their shoulders loosening and their breaths coming easier. A few of them even cast glances of admiration towards Naruto, their expressions softened by the allure of his scent. It was as if the room itself had been cleansed, the heavy, metallic tang of anger and frustration replaced by a fragrant breeze that carried with it a sense of peace.

Sasuke let his gaze linger on Naruto for a moment longer, taking in the sight of him standing there, as if nothing had ever been wrong. The scowl that had twisted Naruto’s features all week was gone, replaced by a lightness in his eyes and a small, almost mischievous smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. It was as if the storm that had raged within him had finally passed, leaving behind only the calm.

Without another word, Sasuke made his way back to his seat beside Neji, the faint scent of oranges still lingering in the air. As he sat down, he felt the weight of Neji’s gaze on him, those pale, discerning eyes that seemed to miss nothing.

“It seems you have contradicted yourself,” Neji remarked, his tone as smooth and composed as ever, yet carrying a hint of amusement.

“Hmph,” was all Sasuke could muster in response, his eyes narrowing slightly as he refused to engage further. He knew what Neji was implying, but he wasn’t in the mood for a lecture, no matter how elegantly worded it might be.

Neji’s lips curved into a barely perceptible smile, the kind that held more understanding than judgment. He returned his attention to the book in front of him, but not before giving Sasuke a proud look.

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. The room had returned to its usual rhythm, the low hum of voices and the scratch of pens on paper filling the air once more. Yet, there was a part of him that still felt unsettled, as if the events of the past week had left a mark that wouldn’t easily fade.

He glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye, watching as he settled into his own seat, surrounded by classmates who seemed drawn to him now, captivated by the restored warmth of his presence. The idiot had caused so much chaos, and yet, here he was, effortlessly charming everyone back into his orbit.

Sasuke shook his head slightly, a small, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. For better or worse, things were back to normal—or at least, as normal as they ever got between them. And for now, that was enough.

—

As the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Sasuke gathered his belongings with his usual efficiency, intending to walk home alone as he always did. The familiar solitude of his walk was something he looked forward to—an opportunity to unwind, think, and avoid unnecessary interactions. However, today, his plans were abruptly disrupted.

"Why are you following me, idiot?" Sasuke demanded, not bothering to hide his irritation as he noticed Naruto trailing behind him, that ever-present grin plastered on his face.

"I'm following you to make sure you don't lie to me about other things," Naruto replied, his voice light and teasing, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

Sasuke grumbled under his breath, "I fucking hate you," but continued walking, now with Naruto in tow. They found themselves weaving through the bustling streets of downtown, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows on the pavement, the air buzzing with the energy of people heading home or out for the evening.

"Yeah, right," Naruto shot back, unbothered by Sasuke's scowl. "By the way, now that we're here, do you want to get ramen?" he asked, his voice bright with excitement, his eyes lighting up at the mere mention of his favorite food.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, attempting to put some distance between them. "No, I don't like ramen, and why would I want to eat with you?" He quickened his pace slightly, hoping Naruto would get the hint and leave him alone.

But Naruto was relentless, his enthusiasm undimmed. "I know that already, but I haven't had Ichiraku's since I came back. C'mon! My mom banned me from eating ramen every day, but if I say I went with you, she won't get mad."

Sasuke shot him a sideways glance, his expression unimpressed. "And exactly how is that my problem?" he retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he paused at the curb, looking both ways before crossing the street.

Naruto didn’t miss a beat, his grin widening as he played his next card. "Mmm, I don't know, but what if I don't tell everyone about how you lied about your virginity?"

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks, spinning around to face Naruto, his dark eyes narrowing in anger. "Are you going to hold that over my head forever?!" he hissed, his voice low and dangerous.

"Maybeee," Naruto drawled, stretching the word out with a playful tone, "or I might just forget if someone gets Ichiraku's with me. Oh, and pays for me," he added, his smirk widening as he dangled the bait.

Sasuke's fists clenched at his sides, his frustration mounting. Just as he was about to lash out, a loud honk snapped him back to reality. The two of them had unwittingly wandered into the middle of the street during their argument, oblivious to the traffic around them.

Acting on instinct, Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s arm with more force than necessary and yanked him to the safety of the sidewalk, his heart pounding with adrenaline and anger.

"Fine," Sasuke spat out, his voice tight with barely restrained fury. "I'll get stupid Ichiraku’s with you, but you will never mention my little incident again. Promise?"

Naruto’s grin softened into a more genuine smile as he held up his hand in mock solemnity. "Promise," he said, the word carrying an air of finality.

Sasuke exhaled sharply, his tension slowly easing as they walked side by side toward Ichiraku’s. The fading sunlight bathed the street in a warm, golden glow, and for a brief moment, the world seemed almost peaceful. But Sasuke knew better—Naruto’s presence was a constant, chaotic force in his life, one that he could never fully escape. Yet, despite the annoyance, there was a part of him that didn’t entirely mind.

#fanfic #narusasu #alpha naruto #omegas sasuke #gay boys #omegaverse #boys in love

10 notes · View notes

eunoiaaaivy · 2 years ago

Text

ღ....lifeline?

-cw: angst, character death, blood, unknown illness, unrequited love, short like me, mention of nightmares and crying, hyperventilating.

a/n: probs don't know abt this one. it's not really angsty.

he misses you. he misses your smiles, your laugh, the way your face would crinkle when you're happy. he just misses everything about you. he misses the way you would start a small banter with him, huffing when he calls you short. he misses ice cream on sundays with you. he misses everything related to you.

as he stares in the dark, the ceiling is what he is met with, mocking him with memories he's chasing. he could hear your laugh, despite the tick of the clock being loud. he could feel your presence hugging him from behind, even in the cold air of nothing. he could feel you. another sleepless night without you.

wasn't he stupid? why did he do that to you? why did he do that? just why? with the chasing of memories, he encounters what's there to be encountered. memories of flashing lights, the loud bustling crowd and the touching of skins, the memory of you in a cute dress, a confession remained in the air as he didn't say anything. and right then and there, the night he hates the most. because it was the last time you ever talked to each other. you lost contact, sweet moments and memories yet to be made.

it was only until he saw you at the vending machine, a shocked look on your face as you saw him. he recalls, the look he gave you was nothing of an accepted confession. it was a foreign, blank look as he no longer held warmth for you. as you reached out for him, he was met with the walls and ceilings of his bedroom as he realized it was a dream. his rushed breathing and ragged breath could be heard in the air as he tries to stabilize himself. the memory of you reaching out breaking into a thousand shards of glass as the realization eats him alive. before waking up, a flash was scene, there in all your glory, blood dripping from your nose as only a few seconds later you were met with the sound of gurgling blood out of your mouth, and as you looked at his eyes one last time, you collapsed on the floor.

and as he regains his breathing, he cries. he cries at the realization that you confessed knowing that your lifeline was going to end soon. he cries as he realized those memories eat him at night, taunting him for the things he's done to you. for treating you as such. for the lifeline that was taken away from you as he realizes that he loves you. he could remember faintly of the scene, ambulance blaring and teachers panicking, he stood there clueless. until your brother came and grabbed his collar, declaring the love you had for him was pure and unjudged, that your intentions were clear as daylight and your bright lovely heart has now dimmed like the moon on a long night.

he cries in anguish as you no longer breath. out of every day that he could've met you properly, why should've it been in your funeral, as he gazes through the area, the sobbing of your mother can be heard and the woes of your father loud and clear. the dullness of your siblings can be seen and the bright smile of yours in a picture frame in the middle of the center.

he realized, then and there that you died feeling alone. despite the friends and family, he knew you felt alone. as clear as the day and as dark as the night, you were no longer here. a brazen fool is what he calls himself as the pictures of you and him no longer feel special. and as the memories come flooding in once again on a peaceful night, he lets himself drown in them. he drowns his woes and sorrows in them as he is no longer met with a beating heartbeat. your lifeline has ended.

CLAUDE (WMMAP), AOMINE, SASUKE, ITACHI, KAKASHI, obito, dion, DILUC, kaeya, jean, eren, MIKEY, HANMA, ran, rindou, KAGEYAMA, TSUKISHIMA, kuroo, connie, hyuga junpei, NEJI, SEIJURO AKASHI, akashi keiji (?), IZEK, ERGI, sanemi, tengen, BAKUGOU, shinsou, aizawa, MEGUMI, TBH JUST ANYONE LOL I WANTED TO BE DRAMATIC. :DDDDD

131 notes · View notes

kvohru · 8 months ago

Text

I was tagged by @tentenismybitch !!

Please share your last sentence; or, if you don't have one, share a plot bunny or idea!

this is (part of) a scene from my fic “limerence - iterum” that comes a bit later in the story but i was too excited to write it so i did :p obvi tentative (and a bit rushed oops) since im not at that part yet, so it might change as i go on, but enjoy :)

“You said it yourself, Neji.” Her voice was gentle, resigned. It held none of that anger he’d expected—hoped for. She released a short, humourless laugh, her voice lowering into a gentle whisper, as if pointing out an unmistakable truth, “We can’t be friends.” “Tenten.” His voice was pained. Desperate. Imploring. Her face softened, if infinitesimally, and those beautiful brown eyes gazed into his with so much ill-concealed longing he was ready to get on his knees and beg. Beg for her forgiveness. Plead with her to give them another chance. To forget he ever said those senseless words. He was ready to get on his knees and repent ceaselessly like he were a wicked sinner and she his altar. Her brows pulled into a soft frown, and she faintly shook her head. “I'm too much for you,” she said in a broken whisper, almost desperately. He didn't know who she was trying to convince of this—himself or her. “I don't” —she looked away, swallowed— “I don't regret you, Neji. And I can only hope you think back fondly on what we had, because—” Her voice wavered, broke, and she took a shuddering breath to compose herself, her eyes going skyward to stop the tears collecting on her waterline from flowing.

well. now you know why i included we can't be friends & don't wanna break up again by ariana grande in the fic playlist HEHE hope you likedddddd (link for the fic is pinned on my blog love you)

i have no one to tag (PLS BE MY MOOT I BEG) so if you see this & wanna do it, pls go ahead!!! pretend i tagged you HAHAHA

11 notes · View notes

alumort · 3 months ago

Text

ao3

@nejileeweek day 4: mission/training

i... got carried away. i'll put all chapters under the readmore lol. enjoy.

chapter 1

His muscles hurt, but he knew it would be like that only until his body got used to moving once more– not too long had passed since Tsunade had given him a chance to be a ninja once more, and he had taken it too far by fighting with Kimimaro right after his surgery… so he had to recover even more than originally expected, just when Konoha was low on working force after the failed invasion.

That meant Gai (and the other Jounins) had too much on hand, and so Lee and his teammates had to hang out together to train on their own, against Tenten’s complaints about getting up way too early when their mentor wasn’t in town. Neji somehow didn’t even scowl at him once he suggested keeping their routinary early training for discipline, and had rather shown up on time instead of being late.

So, Lee and his rival had some time where they were on their own, trotting around for a warm up while they waited for their last teammate to arrive– though he could tell Neji was starting to get tired after the first hour and a half, even if they were just starting… but then, he remembered that his friend had also gone through a lot in an attempt to rescue Sasuke with some of their fellow ninjas, so perhaps his rival also had to recover still? Even if he was still trying to keep up with him…

“Do you need a break, Neji?” he dared to ask, knowing well his companion would probably grunt at him or act though as usual, insulted by the idea of being inferior in any way–

Though, to his surprise, no groan or snarky comment could be heard. Rather, the brunet just stopped on his tracks to breathe, not even looking at him in the eye as Lee slowed down to make sure everything was alright; Neji didn't mind his closeness for once, and he said nothing as the other boy examined him with a mix of curiosity and worry in his gaze.

“It's… hard, after my injuries. I'm tired already– but I'm sure you understand it well,” he exclaimed, letting out a sigh as he sat down, trying to recover his breath. The brunet seemed confused to see Lee offering him some water, though the ghost of a smile appeared on his lips for a second before fading as quickly as it had formed. “Sorry, I'm just holding you back. You can go on without me, if you'd like.”

Perhaps that was what insulted him the most– implying that he would ever leave his precious teammate behind! Lee frowned and denied with his head, crouching while placing his arms on both sides of his body with determination burning on his eyes. Neji titled his head as the taijutsu master got in place, loudly speaking once more.

“No, Neji! I will not leave you behind! I can carry you while I run, so you are not on your own!” he announced, placing a hand on his chest with his words– seeing his rival's confusion about his gestures, Lee went on. “I know this is only training, but if I can not make sure you are with me now… what will happen in a real mission, when that is important? It could be dangerous!”

It seemed that got through the brunet; his gaze softened in understanding, and a soft sigh escaped from his lips. And in mere seconds, Neji had silently agreed, hopping on Lee's back while making sure to hold him close in an attempt to avoid falling from his arms– not like he would ever allow that to happen! Though, he felt some kind of tingling on his chest as his teammate got comfortable on his back, his arms embracing him if only for his own safety… Neji had never been so close to him, and he had never rested his chin on top of his head like that.

Geez, why were his cheeks so warm all of a sudden? Trying to ignore that weird sensation on his skin, Lee began jogging once more, making sure to not rush as much as usual if it meant his companion would be alright.

And then he heard it– an uncommon sound he didn't recognize at first, but soon made him grin; Neji was laughing on his back, out of pure joy instead of his usual mockery towards Tenten or him. There was no malice in his chuckles, and Lee found himself imitating him, content to see that his teammate was happy in some way.

It warmed his chest in a nice manner, more as his rival himself asked him to run faster, enjoying the piggyback ride as if he was a small child. And how could he say no, when Lee could count on one hand the scattered times he had heard Neji's laugh or seen his genuine smile?

It was… precious, stunning. Uncommon to see. He wanted to appreciate it forever, quietly thanking Naruto for defeating his rival in battle, making him open up little by little to the rest of the team. Maybe they could be friends now! Lee felt himself smiling just by the thought of becoming closer to the other boy, something he had wanted since they had met.

Plus, Neji had a gorgeous smile– if something so simple as carrying him on his back would cause a genuine grin to appear on his face, Lee wanted to do other ‘silly’ things, so the brunet had more reasons to be happy! His stomach felt strange at the thought of being the root of that joy, but not in a bad way; that would be his personal mission from that day onwards!

And his rival didn't seem to mind it much, not anymore. At least not when they were in private and nobody but their other teammates were around. chapter 2

Sweat made him feel uneasy, but that was quite complicated to avoid in the middle of the desert, after completing a particularly complicated mission for someone Neji didn’t care about. At least that time he didn’t need to work with strangers like in his more complicated tasks, far enough from home that he barely recognized his environment.

But well, Tsunade had sent both Team Gai and Team Kakashi together for a reason. Perhaps nobody apart from them would’ve been able to rescue the Kazekage, much less revive him from death– and now they were seeing him focusing on Naruto, holding his hand as if they were alone on a date or something like that…

He felt nothing but disgust about Gaara, after he had almost killed one of his closest friends with a psychopathic smile, and he quickly had to look away to avoid his annoyance from becoming more visible. Neji frowned for a second before his teammates caught his attention, noticing that Gai ended up carrying his chakra-exhausted husband on his back with Lee observing it with pure awe in his eyes.

Oh. He already knew what his rival would suggest before he even opened his mouth, now getting closer to him with an enormous grin on his face– his friend was too obvious sometimes, easy to read as any book whenever he wasn’t trying to hide his heart, of course. More when their mentor did something that was particularly impressive or interesting for the younger boy.

“Neji! Let me carry you home!” Lee exclaimed out loud, determination flowing through his voice, and soon everyone’s eyes fell on him without warning.

Fuck. He was a Jounin, an adult, though the situation still made his cheeks feel as warm as the sun– it was embarrassing, to say the least, and his companion still observed him with nothing but expectation and wonder in his gaze. Waiting patiently for a response, ignoring the strange looks on Naruto and Sakura’s faces.

“Yeah, Neji, let him carry you home– like a princess!” Tenten teased with a smirk, hitting his ribs with her elbow and making him stumble for a second before pushing her away, not caring about gentleness by then. “Hey! You’re so rude…”

“No, Lee. I can walk on my own,” the brunet argued, crossing his arms on his chest with a frown, noticing that his rival’s excited face soon became akin to one of a teary kicked puppy– heartbroken with few words. That made his chest felt weird, although that expression was common to see whenever Lee got too sad to play around as usual.

Being the cause of that… it sent a sharp pang of guilt stabbing his soul, more as his companion began to speak with a soft voice which was never used.

“But… but you always let me do it. You said you like it,” Lee began to say, blinking for a long time as an attempt to hold back tears, making the brunet feel even worse. “Were you lying to me?”

It was hard to breathe, just by hearing the disbelief in those simple sentences. Neji didn't know how to reply without stuttering, without showing weakness in front of someone of political importance such as the Kazekage, though his throat was blocked by his own tongue. He couldn't speak.

So instead, the brunet rolled his eyes playfully and approached the other boy, cleaning his eyes with his sleeve without caring that it could get ruined as Hiashi used to complain– he made sure not to get a single piece of sand on him, managing to observe Lee's round face as he actually didn't push away at all. Instead, his friend was looking at him, moving his long eyelashes with every blink while a smile slowly found its way into his lips.

Neji could sense that his skin was soft just with that, and that his cheeks were still round and filled with baby fat that just made the impulse of squeezing them impossible to avoid, receiving soft chuckles in response.

“Well… I think I've got some blisters on my soles. I changed my mind,” he announced, and it was as if life had returned to Lee's dark eyes, more once Neji had gotten comfortable on his back without delay.

That was to be expected, yet it didn't stop being adorable– well, as adorable as a boy could be. Lee was still a Chunin and didn't need to worry about appearances as much, so he would let him enjoy his peace while he could… holding onto him for life as he ran through the world at full speed, making his whole soul spin to no avail.

It was worse when Gai promptly called the path home a ‘race’, and his student had newfound determination to win. Neji was the one to suffer its consequences– they arrived at their village in record time, although his breakfast ended up leaving his body as soon as his rival had let him step on the ground.

And his previous dinner, lunch and snacks. That… wasn't nice to see, though Lee remained by his side the whole time, gently caressing and patting his back every now and then.

“I am so sorry! I will be more gentle nex time, I promise! If I am not, I will run three hundred laps through the village with one hand– no, I will do it now! I will make up for this!”

He was sure that the other boy would do that, even if Lee had ended up getting him home before training on his own; Neji felt too exhausted to invite him in, yet his rival had made sure to get him to bed and cover him on blankets before leaving him alone, with his lingering affection still on the brunet's soul. chapter 3

His heart was beating too fast, and his vision was blurry with tears– Lee couldn’t remember when was the last time he had run like that, avoiding everyone on his way without caring at all, focusing on a single person who had fallen on the ground with blood making a pool right underneath him. Ruining the hair he worked so hard to maintain, staining his clothes and vest.

Everything happened too quickly: wooden stakes had been sent flying everywhere without control, and he had barely avoided them by removing his weights, taking it as a challenge of sorts to see how well he could dodge without getting a single scratch. At the same time, he tried to help his fellow ninja as possible, until a familiar voice screamed and his attention ended up on one of his friends– someone he thought was pretty much invincible, yet the conflict reminded him that wasn’t the case.

He could barely believe his eyes, and his heart seemed to stop as he got closer to the scene; Neji was dying, although a medical ninja was doing her best to mend his wounds– he didn’t even recognize Sakura until she had to scream at him for space, as his first instinct was to try to hold his rival and lift him from the ground.

Tears made his vision blurry, realizing that his best friend was fighting with death beside him and there was nothing he could do apart from observing. Lee couldn’t help it but sob, being held back by Tenten who looked as upset as him though managed to keep her feelings under control somehow, holding back her worry while trying to keep him at bay.

But how was he supposed to react? Neji was going to die. His teammate, his closest friend, his eternal rival… his everything, hurt by fulfilling the fate he hated so much, his skin pale and closed eyes as his breathing began to become irregular with every passing second. Sakura was doing her best, but the brunet had already lost consciousness, and it was only a matter of time until his last breath escaped from his lips. He couldn’t force himself to see anymore, feeling something stuck on his throat while his lips trembled, too afraid to check if his rival was still alive or not.

If Neji passed, he… he wasn’t sure if he would be able to go on without him. Tenten ended up hugging him at one point, although she tapped on his cheeks for him to pay attention, and surprisingly a smile had appeared on her face by then.

“He’s alive,” Sakura announced with exhaustion showing through her eyes, cleaning off blood from her hands as she spoke. She was ready for Lee’s crushing hug so it wasn’t too surprising, judging by her soft chuckling. “I had to give him some meds I had around… He’ll need some help walking for a while.” “You did it– you saved him, Sakura… you are amazing! Thank you, thank you so much!” the taijutsu master exclaimed with tears in his eyes, letting go of his friend just to focus on Neji, who seemed more confused than anything else.

He was covered in countless bandages, some of which were tainted with different shades of pink and red, but he was alive. His lavender gaze fell on him and a soft smile, and he made an attempt to stand up only for Lee to hold him in case he slipped. Neji chuckled and ended up hugging him with half-closed eyes, finding something funny that he didn’t understand at all, focused on the cloth of his jumpsuit for some reason.

“Ah– I gave him antibiotics to prevent infections. They’re a bit… strong,” the medical ninja explained, scratching the back of her neck as she spoke.

Of course! It was yet another way of making sure Neji was alright and nothing else happened to him, although said medication could make him act a bit strange, judging by how easily he chuckled and allowed Lee to carry him without complaint even if they were surrounded by people; if his rival did say something about it, he had to get him to safety anyways, and wouldn’t listen for once. Tenten remained close to the other girl, helping her by blocking incoming attacks while she healed other ninjas.

People were still fighting everywhere around them, but Lee had to make sure his rival would be alright– his encounter with death had been so complex that even the curse mark of his forehead had faded, and now it was blank. And in any case, he wouldn't be able to fight knowing that his rival was under the effect of the strongest medicine available, pretty much stumbling with everything on his way; hence why the taijutsu master had decided that carrying him on his back would be easier, albeit Neji somehow found it funny judging by his soft chuckles.

At one point, he ended up resting his face on Lee's shoulder, hugging him from behind in complete silence for stability or something like that. Or that's what he believed, having to dodge hurt ninjas and enemies alike until finding a spot where there was no people around, where they could sit down and rest for a while– although it was a bit strange, because Neji didn't seem to let go off him, which did nothing but confuse him.

“Are you alright? Do you feel any pain?” he whispered, raising an eyebrow as he saw the goofy smile on his friend’s face and the lack of an immediate answer. Plus, the brunet was… too close, more than it was common with him, more than what he was comfortable with according to his own words.

“Noo, Lee, I'm fine… you're such a cute boy, worrying about me. Cute,” Neji mumbled, making the taijutsu master feel a warmth on his cheeks, leaving him speeches for the first time in a long time. It was more obvious as his friend gently played with his hair as he began to speak again, observing him with all the awe in the world. “You're so strong… I like that. Do you like boys? Because I like you, but I’m a boy.”

Lee looked at him with a mix of confusion and disbelief in his heart, staying still while his rival pretty much kept observing him with nothing but admiration in his gaze– finding an excuse to caress his cheeks while he waited for a response of sorts, not rushing him even when he wasn’t feeling on his best. He had always had the feeling that his teammate looked at other boys too much, when they would go with other ninjas to the hot springs or so, but he had just assumed that the brunet just admired their strength.

Well… it would explain why he always became shy in those situations, specially on the times where it was only the two of them.

Yet he couldn’t speak by mere shock, never expecting Neji to even look at him that way; he was stunning, after all, and Lee was just… Lee. Nobody seemed to appreciate his beauty until that moment, and his eyes felt teary by the sheer emotion of it all, much less someone as handsome as his rival. There was nothing to say, even if he was able to speak. The brunet soon seemed to forget about his question and had decided to use his shoulder as a pillow, too tired from the mix of pain medicine and antibiotics alongside surviving a lethal injury, though it gave him some time to think as Lee made sure his companion was comfortable without any risk before relaxing on the ground as much as physically possible.

Neji had never seemed so peaceful since they had known each other, pretty much sleeping on his arms with a drowsy smile on his lips… not stressed about anything at all for the first time in his whole life. He was the one looking cute now, in his mind, calm at last.

Lee found himself smiling and couldn’t help it but play with his rival’s hair, who hummed in his sleep yet didn’t wake up to scold him or anything like that. His heart felt warm and it was then that he realized everything would be alright, as the typical sounds of the battleground began to cease as the war came to an end around them, and peace slowly returned to the world.

They would live to see the next day, with more than enough time for the taijutsu master to think about how to speak about their small moment, as Neji didn’t seem to remember what had happened when he got better… or perhaps he was just acting dumb to see what he would do in response, trying to see if his feelings were returned or not to some extent.

He wasn’t ready for that yet, and still had things to figure out on his own what words to use– though, the love between each other was crystal clear, and their friends even teased them ceaselessly through it all. It was true that they had gotten closer after the war, and Lee was happy just with that, at least for a while; they had all the time in the world now, after all, so why would they rush? That wouldn’t make any sense. chapter 4

The sun had started to hide from the stars when he had managed to return to Konoha after so long, for one of those boring missions in which he was forced to be in another part of the world, far from everything he had ever known. It became even more monotonous after the war, as peace had been achieved all over the world and only some rebel ninja caused trouble every now and then.

Somehow, Neji had been a Jounin for over a decade yet there were always new places to see, even if he had no interest in such things– not if he went on his own, devoid from the company of the precious people in his life. His team (his family, even if not related by blood) , his cousins and his niece, and that was pretty much it.

Perhaps he wasn’t the most sociable person, according to some acquaintances, but he did enjoy certain people’s company. And even if he tried to deny everything and complain, it was true that he preferred a certain someone over everyone else, someone full of energy who loved being by his side no matter how busy things were.

Lee had been the one to take care of him during his recovery, after the war. Always patient and surprisingly gentle with his injured body, Neji ended up feeling so comfortable with him that they had ended up moving in together without warning one day, once he had finished moving his things from the compound to the (now shared) apartment. It had to be done against Hiashi’s wishes, hiding everything inside storage scrolls that Tenten had lent him, but it was possible after a while.

He was extremely close with Lee, even if they had never actually… spoken about what they were. They tended to go for dinner together when possible, or with their teammates, and shared a bed whenever both of them were in Konoha at the same time. Though, that was all, and Neji liked it that way even if other ninja teased them and his uncle usually wondered about him getting a wife on those times where he reunited with Hinata and Himawari while Hiashi invited himself to their home.

He didn’t need a wife, or anyone else. He was happy with Lee and their movie nights, snuggling with him without needing to use any word at all. They didn’t have to speak to be understood, and perhaps that was the most beautiful thing of their… relationship? bond? Whatever it was that they had.

So no matter how exhausted Neji felt after giving Sakura his mission report, energy bloomed from the depths of his soul as soon as his gaze found Lee on the dango shop they liked to visit when possible– in complete silence, the brunet slowly approached the other man from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist and chuckling as his companion just held his hands in response.

“You are back, Neji! I just got here– come, sit with me,” he exclaimed with a smile that could simply be heard in his voice without needing to see him, although Neji ended up sitting beside him just to steal a small bite from his dango for fun. It was worth it if only to see his rival pouting like a small child. “Ah! So rude! And I was about to buy you some… now I will not.”

Even though Lee was trying to seem tough, the brunet couldn’t help it but chuckle, resting his cheek on his partner’s shoulder while observing him in silence. They had been living together for many years by then, and he knew that the other man would probably offer him another treat anytime soon, if only to make him smile.

“I just want to pester you for a while. I haven’t seen you in a while,” Neji exclaimed, making his companion roll his eyes before caressing his cheek, hastily eating the rest of his dango to avoid it from being stolen again. “Well, I missed you too– but that was mine! I am annoyed…”

A quick kiss on the forehead always calmed that down, and that day was no exception; Lee’s frown turned into a giggling smile with a blush, and it was as if nothing had happened at all. More when Neji ordered some snacks for himself, offering some candy to the other man in a way of ‘apologizing’ although he would do it anyways. After all, he had just gotten paid, so a treat or two wouldn’t hurt…

“Can you forgive me now? I don’t want you to be mad at me,” he muttered, focusing his gaze on him for a while until Lee just rolled his eyes and kissed his cheek, pressing their foreheads together for a moment as he spoke. “I love you.”

“I love you too, handsome. But there is one thing we can do for me to feel better,” the taijutsu master teased, and had it been anyone else Neji would’ve pushed away, though he didn’t need to worry after so long. Plus, he already knew what his partner would say, and for once he didn’t want to do so.

“C’mon, Lee, I just got back… I want to rest. Can’t we just cuddle?” Neji complained, receiving another kiss on his other cheek, making him smile now.

“Of course. But first, you will help me do my evening training!”

So predictable. He knew that would happen the moment he stepped back into the village, though his body was too worn out after more than a month fighting rogue ninjas nonstop. Instead of getting up on his own, Neji saved his snacks on his pouch, making sure that nothing would be ruined before turning towards his companion once more.

“I’m tired. Carry me,” he ordered with a playful tone, chuckling when Lee expected him to hop on his back immediately… which he did, because why not? Years in the past that would’ve been unimaginable for him, too embarrassing, but after his close encounter with death the brunet didn’t really care much about appearances anymore.

What Neji did regret was eating food before letting his companion run around with him on his back, forgetting how fast he had become through the years with his neverending training sessions, becoming physically stronger than anyone in the whole world. Becoming the successful ninja he had ever dreamt of, going as far as finally defeating him in a fight.

(They had cried and embraced each other when that had happened due to the sheer emotion of it all, and Lee had gotten so excited that it was impossible for him to calm down until Neji had kissed his cheek, successfully distracting him while both were redder than a tomato at the same time.)

“Are you alright, my dear?” the other man wondered, realizing something was wrong and hence slowing down on his tracks, walking by the end of his short training as they were getting closer to their home.

“Yeah, it’s– I’m alright. Just… dizzy,” was all he said, holding Lee closer with a tighter embrace, who didn’t dare to run anymore afterwards. Opening the door without moving him too much in order to not worsen it. “I’m exhausted. I just want to eat and sleep...”

A dramatic gasp, and soon Neji realized that his partner would tease him to no end, gently placing him on the couch before beginning to talk again.

“Dizzy, hungry, tired… Are you pregnant!?”

He couldn’t hold back his laughter, much less when Lee stuck out his tongue in a playful manner, tackling him into a hug without causing any pain– Neji hugged him back, playing with his hair as the other man relaxed on his arms “We’re both men, silly. We can’t have children,” he said, receiving an annoyed groan in response, which ceased with a kiss on the forehead. “We can adopt, though, That’s the only option, I guess. I’m sure Sakura would help us out.”

For a moment there was nothing but silence while Lee processed what had been said, and then their gazes met– tears filled his partner’s eyes, and his lips trembled out of disbelief, unable to say anything at all for a while.

Until a sob could be heard, and another, and Neji’s expression softened just by seeing the other man’s pure joy, even if neither of them could speak at the moment by the shock of such an unexpected conversation.

They still had a lot of time to think about that, but neither had denied the idea– instead, they cuddled together on the couch, giving each other warmth while being covered under a couple of blankets. Life had a long way to go, so the two would figure out things along the way, being themselves while ignoring people’s judgment of their uncommon bond.

Perhaps they’d get married and adopt a child, or maybe not, and that would be alright. There was no reason to rush or decide what to do in the future.

#nejileeweek2024 #nejilee week 2024 #nejilee #leeneji #neji hyuga #rock lee #naruto

1 note · View note

kiljoius-writes · 1 year ago

Text

Cooler Than Me - Chapter 8

Ao3 | FFN

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

First Chapter

Chapter 8: Day Two - Kiba

Fucking Neji.

Kiba watches Sakura climb down the ladder and his heart doesn’t feel so good right now.

Neji’s back.

Does Tenten know?

Kiba’s not an idiot.

Not a fucking idiot, he’d say.

There’s no doubt in his mind that now that Neji’s back, Tenten’s going to drop him like a bad habit. Probably because he is a bad habit. His sister tells him it all the time. As much as he’d like to call her a bitter old hag, she’s doing better than him and he actually respects her opinion. His sister knows him better than he knows himself, and if she says he’s just another dumb man, he believes it.

But so is Neji, right? So what makes him so much better than him?

Suddenly, he wants to ditch out on his watchtower duty. Maybe he could rope someone else into covering him under the guise of a medical emergency.

“Hanabi!” Kiba shouts without actually being able to see her, just able to detect her scent.

“Huh?” He swings his leg over the side of the watchtower and lets himself fall halfway, grab on, then fall the rest of the way with Akamaru on his tail, whining.

“Hey, hey pretty lady.” He finds her spinning around under the watch tower, coming to a halt when she hears him. She glares her little glare at him, probably because she knows what he’s here for.

“I’m not covering your watch tower duty.” Hanabi folds her arm and sticks one foot out to tap dramatically. Kiba itches the back of his head.

“Ahh, c’mon Hanabi. What’ll it take? I got something kinda…pressing.”

“Pressing?” She swings her hair over her shoulder, raises her eyebrow. “Gimme a little more detail than that and I’ll consider it.”

Kiba’s face falls because he doesn’t want to admit he’s about to be a creep and go stalking around for Tenten. When he takes too long, Hanabi snorts and turns on her heel. He reaches out. “Hey! C’mon, what do you want? Whatever it is, just let me know.”

Hanabi stops in place and reaches her finger up to tap her chin. She looks over her shoulder, this mischievous smile on her lips. “I want you to come to my party!”

“What? No!” He protests immediately. “I’m too old to do shit like that.”

“Too old? Give me a break!” She whines, turning to face him now. “You’re barely 25! Mid-twenties! People party into their 30’s!”

“Okay,” he huffs, rolling his eyes, “I mean I’m too old to party with babies. It’d be weird for me to go to your little party of kids.”

“I resent that,” she snaps back, squinting at him. “We’re all legal adults.”

“Baby adults.”

“How about this.” She holds out a hand towards the tower. “I’ll cover this shift and I’ll get you back for that prank, one that’ll piss you off so bad because you’ll be downright impressed.”

Kiba crinkles his nose when he catches a whiff of Tenten’s scent, not fully registering what Hanabi’s saying, just knowing that he needs to find her now. “Yeah, yeah, fine little Hyūga, whatever. Can you please just?” He gestures to the tower while trying to hold onto the scent.

“And you come to my party!” she shouts before he can get too far. “It’s a deal! And you know what happens when you break a deal!”

“Right,” he calls over his shoulder, “break a deal, break a bone, got it!”

Kiba curses under his breath when the scent starts to get dimmer, but Akamaru makes a sudden turn, and he’s compelled to follow after him. Akamaru’s always been smarter than him anyway. Her scent gets stronger, and he scans the plaza filled with vendors and street performers until he lands on a jewelry stand. In front of it, an odd sight: Ino, Shino, and Tenten.

He stops in his tracks, trying to pull back to his mother and sister. Trying to channel all of their bitching and complaining about men and their terrible ways into making himself not one of those men. Inhales a deep breath.

At least pretend to be interested in a woman for gods sakes!

Even better, actually be interested in her!

Ratty men check out, cheat, and leave.

When’s the last time you actually cared about a woman’s thoughts on politics?

Don’t you fucking tell me you made a face when she said she was on her period.

Look her in the eyes, but not too much. Don’t be weird.

Make it about her, not you.

Both his mom and sisters voices yell at him in his head, even when he’s not with them. It’s a cursed life, living in a house of women, but it’s prepared him to be better than some stupid guy like Neji. Or at least, he thinks it has. Years of watching his sister cry over dumb men, his mother be cold to any man that even thinks of looking her way. Kiba’s better than them.

“Hey –“ he interrupts whatever conversation that had been going on, and curses himself again. This is the exact behavior they had encouraged him against. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“Are you sorry?” Ino asks in that snippy tone and Kiba makes a face at her because she’s not the one he’s interested in. “If you weren’t so rude, maybe you’d know your friend has a dilemma.”

Kiba blinks, looks at Tenten, who gives him this annoyed look. “Your friend Kiba? Shino?!”

“Oh!” Kiba shakes his head, then looks at Shino, who isn’t paying attention to anyone, just simply staring down at the jewelry. “Uhh, I’d love to help buddy, if it could just wait a second – “

“I’m looking for something for Sakura,” Shino tells him without looking up. “I want to get her something nice.”

“Err – “ Kiba looks helplessly as Tenten rolls her eyes and turns on her heel. “I’d really like to help, but am I really the guy to ask about jewelry?”

Tenten’s already walking away when Ino leans in towards Kiba. “He won’t believe us when we tell him to get her a nice anklet, so maybe hearing it from another guy will help.”

“Uhm, okay?” Kiba feels himself becoming increasingly exasperated as Tenten gets further and further away. “Shino, get the anklet, it’s the only answer! I gotta go!”

Ino huffs irritably when Kiba bolts after Tenten, leaving her with Shino.

Shino’s fine, Kiba thinks. At least he has a loyal girlfriend. Kiba’s just trying to hang on to what he has.

Shino doesn’t seem to notice, anyway.

#kibaten #kiba x tenten #kiba inuzuka #tenten #inuzuka kiba #shino aburame #ino yamanaka #cooler than me #naruto fanfic

9 notes · View notes